Figure 7.

Chondral transplantation of chondrospheroid cells attached to HyA-FMBs yields stable chondrogenesis

(A) hiPSC-derived sclerotome was differentiated to chondrospheroids, which were digested at day 35, incubated with HyA-FMBs for 2 h, and transplanted into a femoral trochlear groove defect in NSG mice (B–F) and SRG rats (G).

(B) Toluidine blue staining of defect areas from transplanted day 35 chondrospheroids attached to HyA-FMBs at 1–5 months post-transplant in NSG mice. High-magnification insets shown to the right of their corresponding images. Arrows depicting the formation of bone in control transplants at 1 month. Scale bars, 500 μm.

(C–F) Immunofluorescence analyses of femoral defects from NSG mice 1 month post-transplant. High-magnification insets depicting transplanted cells, surface articular cartilage, and growth plate cartilage shown to the right of their corresponding images. Nuclei counterstained with DAPI. Scale bars, 200 μm.

(G) Toluidine blue staining of defect areas from transplanted day 35 chondrospheroids attached to HyA-FMBs at 2 and 5 months post-transplant in SRG rats (left). Right images depict control transplants, including HyA-FMBs only and hBMSCs/SSCs attached to HyA-FMBs at 2 months. High-magnification insets shown to the right of their corresponding images. Scale bars, 500 μm.

(B–G) Asterisks (∗) indicate HyA-FMBs. Orange dashed lines indicate area of transplanted tissue (see also Figures S7 and S8).