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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 March 2011
We have developed a novel bilayer matrix composed of a porous type I collagen layer that transitions into a hyaluronate gel layer. This study evaluates the potential of the bilayer matrix to support the in vitro and in vivo formation of both bone and cartilage tissue. In the presence of recombinant human growth and differentiation factor-5, fetal rat calvarial cells cultured in the HA layer grew in a round, aggregated, chondrocyte-like morphology, while those in the collagen layer grew flattened and spread. Biochemical analysis demonstrated that cells in the collagen layer expressed higher levels of alkaline phosphatase activity, and lower levels of sulfated glycosaminoglycans and type II collagen when compared to cells in the HA layer. Intramuscular implants of the bilayer matrix with growth factor retrieved at 28 days revealed the presence of bone and cartilage tissue in the collagen and hyaluronate layers, respectively. These results demonstrate that the differentiation of cells in response to a single growth factor can be guided by specific compositional changes of the extracellular matrix.