Development of a biomimetic nanocomposite gradient scaffold to mimic the natural osteochondral structure for tissue repair

The natural osteochondral (OC) tissue exhibits a unique gradient structure which varies with distance from the articular cartilage to subchondral bone. In this study, a biomimetic collagen-based scaffold reinforced with nanohydroxyapatite (nHAp) has been developed to obtain an engineered device which mimics the gradient structure of the natural tissue for OC defects repair. Scaffolds were analysed to verify chemical and phase compositions, porosity architecture and mechanical properties. Furthermore, they were seeded with primary human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and examined for differentiation towards osteo- and chondrogenic lineages.