Influence of porosity and cell density on tissue engineering of mandibular condylar cartilage

Abstract

One of the major problems of the cartilage tissue engineering is to produce materials with similar biomechanical properties to those in the native tissue. Some parameters of the solid matrix such as the porosity of the scaffold and the number of cells may limit physiologically the nutrient supply and tissue growth. This work aims to simulate the impact of the porosity and the initial cell seeding in condylar chondrocytes-seeded agarose scaffolds on the nutrient supply, cell density and the solid volume fraction. A finite element tool was developed in a home-developed code and a free swelling culture period of 1 week was simulated. The results of the mathematical analysis revealed that porosity of the scaffold affects the solid volume fraction, reducing the diffusivity of the solutes and, consequently, delaying the cell proliferation.