Figure 5.
Nanofiber alignment promotes functional extracellular matrix accumulation in engineered meniscus constructs. Non-aligned (NA) (A) and aligned (AL) (B) nanofibrous scaffolds were seeded with bovine meniscal fibrochondrocytes (MFC) or mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) (original magnification ×2000). Collagen deposition over time was independent of the scaffold type (C). Tensile properties of aligned cell-seeded constructs show larger increases with time in culture than nonaligned constructs similarly seeded and cultured (D). Under polarized light, en face sections (E) of aligned constructs (F) (original magnification ×10) revealed alignment of newly deposited collagen (orange hue). Collagen alignment was absent in non-aligned constructs (G) (original magnification ×10). Picrosirius red staining showed similar overall collagen deposition in both nonaligned and aligned constructs (insets).
