Neocartilage gene expression in microtia and normal auricular chondrocytes with and without BMP7

To gain understanding in the tissue engineering of a human auricle, neocartilages generated from microtia and normal surgical remnants were compared by microarray anlaysis. Comparison of these two groups after 10 weeks development in vivo (nude mouse) revealed no statistically significant differences Comparison of normal and microtia cells, each seeded on nanoPGA and supplemented with BMP7 in a slow-release hydrogel, showed statistically significant differences in certain genes identified by microarray analysis. Such differences were also noted in several analyses comparing counterpart seeded cells without BMP7. Normal cells with and without growth factor showed several transcription and proliferative genes upregulated with addition of BMP7. Microtia with added BMP7 compared to normal neocartilage with added BMP7 was statistically significantly increased in gene levels of homeobox A10, DEAD box polypeptide 17, and arginine vasopressin. Chondrocytes were isolated from two types of human auricular surgical remnants, microtia and conchal. Isolated chondrocytes were expanded in culture for 2 weeks and subsequently counted and seeded onto nanopolyglycolic fiber mats with and without the growth factor BMP7. After 10 weeks of implantation in a nude mouse model, total RNA from harvested samples were compared. contributor: NCH Biomedical Genomics Core, Nationwide Hospital, Columbus, OH