gms | German Medical Science

German Congress of Orthopedic and Trauma Surgery (DKOU 2017)

24.10. - 27.10.2017, Berlin

Platelet-rich plasma as an autologous and pro-angiogenic cell delivery system

Meeting Abstract

  • presenting/speaker Jessica Zahn - AO Research Institute Davos, University Medical Center Regensburg, Davos, Switzerland
  • Markus Loibl - University Medical Center, Regensburg, Germany
  • Christoph Sprecher - AO Research Institute Davos, University Medical Center Regensburg, Davos, Switzerland
  • Michael Nerlich - University Medical Center, Regensburg, Germany
  • Mauro Alini - AO Research Institute Davos, University Medical Center Regensburg, Davos, Switzerland
  • Sophie Verrier - AO Research Institute Davos, University Medical Center Regensburg, Davos, Switzerland
  • Marietta Herrmann - AO Research Institute Davos, University Medical Center Regensburg, Davos, Switzerland

Deutscher Kongress für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie (DKOU 2017). Berlin, 24.-27.10.2017. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2017. DocGR14-850

doi: 10.3205/17dkou499, urn:nbn:de:0183-17dkou4993

Published: October 23, 2017

© 2017 Zahn et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. See license information at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.


Outline

Text

Objectives: Angiogenesis is a key factor in early stages of wound healing and is crucial for tissue regeneration. Supporting timely revascularization of the defect site still presents a clinical challenge. Cell therapies and tissue engineering approaches delivering endothelial cells or pre-vascularized constructs may overcome these problems. In the current study, we investigated platelet-rich plasma (PRP) hydrogels as autologous, injectable cell delivery systems for pre-vascularized constructs.

Methods: PRP was produced from human platelet concentrates. GFP-expressing human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) were encapsulated in PRP hydrogels in different proportions. The formation of cellular networks assessed by time lapse microscopy and image analysis, gene expression analysis and immunohistology. Two-way ANOVA with Tukey's test for multiple comparison was applied to test for differences over time and between different culture conditions.

Results and Conclusion: PRP hydrogels presented a favorable environment for the formation of a three-dimensional cellular network in cell co-culture. The formation of these networks was apparent as early as 3 days after seeding. Networks increased in complexity and branching over time but were only stable in HUVEC-MSC co-cultures.

The high cell viability together with the three dimensional capillary-like networks observed at early time points suggest that PRP can be used as an autologous and pro-angiogenic cell delivery system for the repair of vascularized tissues such as bone.