Chondrogenic Potential of Cryopreserved Aortic Allografts: Guiding Perichondrial Regeneration in Tracheal Repair
Journal
Advanced Healthcare Materials
Series/Report No.
Advanced Healthcare Materials
Journal Volume
14
Journal Issue
15
ISSN
2192-2640
2192-2659
Date Issued
2025-05-13
Author(s)
Tsou, Kuan‐Chuan
Cho, Huan‐Chieh
Wu, Pei‐Shan
Chen, Sy‐Chi
Li, Chi‐Fang
Su, Wei‐Ching
Huang, Chih‐Hsuan
Ju, Yu-Ten
Tu, Ching‐Fu
Young, Tai-Horng
Abstract
Native tracheal cartilage exhibits limited regenerative capacity, making the search for suitable biomaterials for tracheal repair a persistent challenge. In this study, a non-decellularized cryopreserved aortic allograft (CAo) is investigated as a scaffold for tracheal cartilage regeneration. Originally used to reconstruct infected aortas, CAo retains key features of a large artery-abundant elastic fibers and smooth muscle cells-and demonstrates favorable in vitro biocompatibility with chondrocytes. A trachea-CAo patch construct maintains tensile properties comparable to native trachea and tolerates normal expiratory forces. In a rabbit patch-defect model, CAo elicits only a mild-to-moderate immune response that gradually subsides. Within one month of implantation, robust neocartilage formation is observed, along with angiogenesis and epithelial regeneration. Over the next 12 months, the original aortic scaffold progressively degrades, while newly formed cartilage-originating from recipient perichondrial chondroprogenitor cells-replaces it. Proteomic analyses show that CAo is enriched in cytoskeletal, adhesion, cell migration, and extracellular matrix (ECM)-related proteins, with fibroblast growth factor 2 emerging as a critical mediator of chemotaxis and chondrogenic differentiation. These findings indicate that CAo serves as both a structural and biological scaffold, activating tracheal cartilage regeneration through synergistic biocompatibility, growth factor signaling, and ECM support.
Subjects
biological scaffolds
chondrogenesis
cryopreserved aortas
extracellular matrices
fibroblast growth factors
perichondria
tracheae
Publisher
Wiley
Type
journal article