Matrix Development in Self-Assembly of Articular Cartilage
Figure 3
Three major biochemical changes can be observed in cartilage neotissue maturation with the self-assembling process, which mirror known developmental trends for articular cartilage.
(A) The percentage of collagen type II to total collagen increased consistently over time, from 8.1% at 1 wk to 69.1% at 8 wks, with statistically significant increases between 2, 4, and 8 wks. (B) In a western blot for collagen type VI, normalized to total collagen content, it is observed that at the proportion of collagen type VI to total collagen decreased by approximately 40% between 1 and 2 wks and then increased slightly at 8 wks. Relative collagen type VI levels were determined by the integrated optical density of each band. (C) The ratio of CS-6 to CS-4 decreased steadily during construct maturation, from 2.4 at 1 wk to 1.4 at 8 wks. Data presented as mean±standard deviations.