The ability of cryopreserved chondrocytes to revitalize and propagate is a key biotechnology in cartilage regeneration. This study shows the formation of neocartilage from cryopreserved chondrocytes in scaffolds grafted with elastin and poly-L-lysine. Cryopreserved chondrocytes in elastin- and poly-L-lysine-grafted constructs were cultured in a dynamic bioreactor and assessed by biochemical assay and staining. Elastin demonstrated a better efficacy for recruiting cryopreserved chondrocytes onto the pore surface of constructs than poly-L-lysine. However, surface elastin and poly-L-lysine did not significantly enhance the biocompatibility to cryopreserved chondrocytes. Chondrocytes multiplied from cryopreserved chondrocytes in elastin-grafted constructs is faster than that in poly-L-lysine-grafted constructs. In addition, elastin could stimulate cryopreserved chondrocytes to synthesize more glycosaminoglycans and collagen than poly-L-lysine. Porous biomaterials with surface elastin and poly-L-lysine can maintain active chondrocytic proliferation and extracellular matrix secretion from chondrocytes with appropriate cryopreservation.
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