List of studies using IPFP as the stem cell source and the growth factors used.

<p>List of studies using IPFP as the stem cell source and the growth factors used.</p

Histology of week 4 chitosan-ASC constructs in chondrogenic and control media.

<p>There is a paucity of cellular attachment and growth in control media and lack of toluidine blue staining. Chitosan fibres are clearly stained by eosin. The cells that have grown and attached to the chitosan structure under chondrogenic media shows extracellular matrix deposition with strong toluidine blue staining, suggesting the presence of proteoglycans. Magnification 20×. A–D represent whole tissue images with scale bars at 500 µm as indicated. E–F represents magnified images with scale bars at 20 µm as indicated.</p

Immunohistochemistry of week 4 pellet culture in control and chondrogenic media.

<p>Collagen type II and proteoglycan is expressed in chondrogenic pellet compared with no expression in control media. Collagen type I is expressed in both control and chondrogenic pellet. Magnification 20×. Scale bars at 50 µm as indicated.</p

Relative chondrogenic gene expression between control and chondrogenic pellets and cell-scaffold constructs at 4 weeks.

<p>Collagen type II gene was not expressed in all control cultures for both pellets and cell-scaffolds at week 4. Both collagen type II and aggrecan genes were significantly increased by week 4 over control groups (*p<0.05; t-test). The increase in SOX9 was less significant between the control groups and the chondrogenic groups at 4 weeks. These results represent 3 separate experiments using 3 separate biological replicates (N = 3) as well as triplicate internal replicates for each qPCR reaction. Mean plotted with error bars representing the SEM.</p

In vitro culture of cell-scaffold constructs using cell inserts.

<p>Scaffolds were cut using a 6×10⁵ ASCs in a 24 tissue culture plate well inserts with an internal diameter of 6.5 mm and permeable membrane of 3.0 µm pore size.</p

3D printed chitosan scaffold.

<p>(A) Macroscopic image of a 3D printed chitosan scaffold showing strands of chitosan extruded in a 3D lattice pattern overlying each other forming a 3D structure. (B) Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image showing the lattice network of chitosan fibres. Scale bars as indicated.</p

Macroscopic image of pellet cultures in control and chondrogenic media at 4 weeks.

<p>A comparative image showing pellets cultured in control vs chondrogenic media shows a distinct difference in size at 4 weeks between the larger chondrogenic pellets and the smaller control pellet.</p

Immunohistochemistry of week 4 chitosan-ASC constructs in chondrogenic and control media.

<p>There is a paucity of cellular attachment and growth in control media and lack of collagen type II and proteoglycan expression. The cells that have grown and attached to the chitosan structure under chondrogenic media strongly expresses collagen type II, proteoglycan and also collagen type I, indicating the formation of hyaline-like cartilage. Magnification 20×. A-H represent whole tissue images with scale bars at 500 µm as indicated. I-P represent magnified images with scale bars at 20 µm as indicated.</p