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The regeneration of articular cartilage consisting of hyaline cartilage and hydrogel scaffolds has been generally used in tissue engineering. However, success in in vivo studies has been rarely reported. The hydrogel scaffolds implanted into articular cartilage defects are mechanically unstable and it is difficult for them to integrate with the surrounding native cartilage tissue. Therefore, it is needed to regenerate cartilage and bone tissue simultaneously. We developed hybrid scaffolds with hydrogel scaffolds for cartilage tissue and with ceramic scaffolds for bone tissue. For in vivo study, hybrid scaffolds were press-fitted into osteochondral tissue defects in a rabbit knee joints and the cartilage tissue regeneration in blank, hydrogel scaffolds, and hybrid scaffolds was compared. In 12th week after implantation, the histological and immunohistochemical analyses were conducted to evaluate the cartilage tissue regeneration. In the blank and hydrogel scaffold groups, the defects were filled with fibrous tissues and the implanted hydrogel scaffolds could not maintain their initial position; in the hybrid scaffold group, newly generated cartilage tissues were morphologically similar to native cartilage tissues and were smoothly connected to the surrounding native tissues. This study demonstrates hybrid scaffolds containing hydrogel and ceramic scaffolds can provide mechanical stability to hydrogel scaffolds and enhance cartilage tissue regeneration at the defect site.

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are multipotent progenitor cells in adult tissues. Current challenges for the clinical application of MSCs include donor site morbidity, which underscores the need to identify alternative sources of MSCs. This study aimed to explore potential new sources of multipotent MSCs for use in tissue regeneration and the functional restoration of organs.Mixed methods research.Tertiary care center.The authors isolated MSCs from human inferior turbinate tissues discarded during turbinate surgery of 10 patients for nasal obstruction. The expression of surface markers for MSCs was assessed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. The differentiation potential of human turbinate mesenchymal stromal cells (hTMSCs) was analyzed by immunohistochemistry, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot analysis.Surface epitope analysis revealed that hTMSCs were negative for CD14, CD19, CD34, and HLA-DR and positive for CD29, CD73, and CD90, representing a characteristic phenotype of MSCs. Extracellular matrices with characteristics of cartilage, bone, and adipose tissue were produced by inducing the chondrogenic, osteogenic, and adipogenic differentiation of hTMSCs, respectively. The expression of neuron-specific markers in hTMSCs was confirmed immunocytochemically.The hTMSCs represent a new source of multipotent MSCs that are potentially applicable to tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The availability of differentiated adult cells will allow the development of an effective tissue regeneration method.