The iliotibial band (ITB) is a suitable scaffold for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
reconstruction, providing a sufficient mechanical resistance to loading. Hence, ITB-derived fibroblasts
attract interest for ligament tissue engineering but have so far not been characterized. This present
study aimed at characterizing ITB fibroblasts before, during, and after emigration from cadaveric
ITB explants to decipher the emigration behavior and to utilize their migratory capacity for seeding
biomaterials. ITB and, for comparison, ACL tissues were assessed for the content of alpha smooth
muscle actin (αSMA) expressing fibroblasts and degeneration. The cell survival and αSMA expression
were monitored in explants used for cell isolation, monolayer, self-assembled ITB spheroids, and
spheroids seeded in polyglycolic acid (PGA) scaffolds. The protein expression profile of targets
typically expressed by ligamentocytes (collagen types I–III, elastin, lubricin, decorin, aggrecan,
fibronectin, tenascin C, CD44, β1-integrins, vimentin, F-actin, αSMA, and vascular endothelial growth
factor A [VEGFA]) was compared between ITB and ACL fibroblasts. A donor- and age-dependent
differing percentage of αSMA positive cells could be detected, which was similar in ITB and ACL
tissues despite the grade of degeneration being significantly higher in the ACL due to harvesting
them from OA knees. ITB fibroblasts survived for several months in an explant culture, continuously
forming monolayers with VEGFA and an increased αSMA expression. They shared their expression
profile with ACL fibroblasts. αSMA decreased during the monolayer to spheroid/scaffold transition.
Using self-assembled spheroids, the migratory capacity of reversible myofibroblastic ITB cells can be
utilized for colonizing biomaterials for ACL tissue engineering and to support ligament healing.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:88944 |
| Date | 10 January 2024 |
| Creators | Schwarz, Silke, Gögele, Clemens, Ondruschka, Benjamin, Hammer, Niels, Kohl, Benjamin, Schulze-Tanzil, Gundula |
| Publisher | MDPI |
| Source Sets | Hochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion, doc-type:article, info:eu-repo/semantics/article, doc-type:Text |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | 1972, 10.3390/ijms20081972 |
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