Conditioned Medium from Chondrocyte/Scaffold Constructs Induced Chondrogenic Differentiation of Bone Marrow Stromal Cells

For the application of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) in cartilage tissue engineering, it is imperative to develop efficient strategies for their chondrogenic differentiation. In this study, the conditioned media derived from chondrocyte/scaffold constructs were used to direct chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs. The porcine articular chondrocytes were seeded on the PGA/PLA scaffolds to form chondrocyte/scaffold constructs and were cultured to form engineered cartilage in vitro. The culture media were collected as conditioned media and used for chondrogenic induction of BMSC pellets (experimental group, Exp.). The chondrocyte pellets and BMSC pellets were cultured routinely as positive control (PC) and negative control (NC), respectively. After 4 weeks, the wet weight and GAG content in Exp. group and PC group were significantly higher than that in NC group. Histological and immunohistochemical analysis showed that cartilaginous tissue was formed with typical cartilage lacuna structure and positive staining of collagen Type II (Col II) in the peripheral area of the BMSC pellets in Exp. group. Gene expression of Sox9, Col II, and COMP in Exp. group and PC group were significantly higher than that in NC group. The growth factors in the conditioned media derived from human costal chondrocytes‐scaffold constructs were tested by protein microassay. The conditioned media contained low levels of TGF‐β1,2,3, IGF‐1 and high levels of IGF‐2, FGF‐4, and IGFBP4,6, and so forth. The soluble factors derived from the engineered cartilage can induce chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs independently. Many cytokines may function in chondrogenesis in a coordinated way. Anat Rec, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Repair of articular cartilage defect in non-weight bearing areas using adipose derived stem cells loaded polyglycolic acid mesh

The current study was designed to observe chondrogenic differentiation of adipose derived stem cells (ASCs) on fibrous polyglycolic acid (PGA) scaffold stabilized with polylactic acid (PLA), and to further explore the feasibility of using the resulting cell/scaffold constructs to repair full thickness articular cartilage defects in non-weight bearing area in porcine model within a follow-up of 6 months. Autologous ASCs isolated from subcutaneous fat were expanded and seeded on the scaffold to fabricate ASCs/PGA constructs. Chondrogenic differentiation of ASCs in the constructs under chondrogenic induction was monitored with time by measuring the expression of collagen type II (COL II) and glycosaminoglycan (GAG). The constructs after being in vitro induced for 2 weeks were implanted to repair full thickness articular cartilage defects (8 mm in diameter, deep to subchondral bone) in femur trochlea (the experimental group), while scaffold alone was implanted to serve as the control. Histologically, the generated neo-cartilage integrated well with its surrounding normal cartilage and subchondral bone in the defects of experimental group at 3 months post-implantation, whereas only fibrous tissue was filled in the defects of control group. Immunohistochemical and toluidine blue staining confirmed the similar distribution of COL II and GAG in the regenerated cartilage as the normal one. A vivid remolding process with post-operation time was also witnessed in the neo-cartilage as its compressive moduli increased significantly from 50.55% of the normal cartilage at 3 months to 88.05% at 6 months. The successful repair thus substantiates the potentiality of using chondrogenic induced ASCs and PGA/PLA scaffold for cartilage regeneration.     

In vivo ectopic chondrogenesis of BMSCs directed by mature chondrocytes

In vivo niche plays an important role in determining the fate of exogenously implanted stem cells. Due to the lack of a proper chondrogenic niche, stable ectopic chondrogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in subcutaneous environments remains a great challenge. The clinical application of MSC-regenerated cartilage in repairing defects in subcutaneous cartilage such as nasal or auricular cartilage is thus severely limited. The creation of a chondrogenic niche in subcutaneous environments is the key to solving this problem. The current study demonstrates that bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) could form cartilage-like tissue in a subcutaneous environment when co-transplanted with articular chondrocytes, indicating that chondrocytes could create a chondrogenic niche to direct chondrogenesis of BMSCs. Then, a series of in vitro co-culture models revealed that it was the secretion of soluble factors by chondrocytes but not cell-cell contact that provided the chondrogenic signals. The subsequent studies further demonstrated that multiple factors currently used for chondroinduction (including TGF-β1, IGF-1 and BMP-2) were present in the supernatant of chondrocyte-engineered constructs. Furthermore, all of these factors were required for initiating chondrogenic differentiation and fulfilled their roles in a coordinated way. These results suggest that paracrine signaling of soluble chondrogenic factors provided by chondrocytes was an important mechanism in directing the in vivo ectopic chondrogenesis of BMSCs. The multiple co-culture systems established in this study provide new methods for directing committed differentiation of stem cells as well as new in vitro models for studying differentiation mechanism of stem cells determined by a tissue-specific niche.     

Effects of co-culturing BMSCs and auricular chondrocytes on the elastic modulus and hypertrophy of tissue engineered cartilage

Co-culture of BMSCs and chondrocytes is considered as a promising strategy to generate tissue engineered cartilage as chondrocytes induce the chondrogenesis of BMSCs and inhibit the hypertrophy of engineered cartilage. Because the tissue specific stem/progenitor cells have been isolated from mature tissues including auricular cartilage, we hypothesized that adding stem cells to auricular chondrocytes in co-culture would also enhance the quality of engineered cartilage. In the present study, using the histological assay, biomechanical evaluation, and quantitative analysis of gene expression, we compared different strategies of auricular chondrocytes, BMSCs induction, and co-culture at different ratios on PGA/PLA scaffolds to construct tissue engineered elastic cartilage in vitro and in vivo. The up-regulation of RUNX2 and down-regulation of SOX9 were found in BMSCs chondrogenic induction group, which might imply a regulatory mechanism for the hypertrophy and potential osteogenic differentiation. Engineered cartilage in co-culture 5:5 group showed the densest elastic fibers and the highest Young's modulus, which were consistent with the expression profile of cartilage matrix-related genes including DCN and LOXL2 genes. Moreover, the better proliferative and chondrogenic potentials of engineered cartilage in co-culture 5:5 group were demonstrated by the stronger expression of Ki67 and Dlk1.     

Chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells induced by acellular cartilage sheets

Acellular cartilage sheets (ACSs) have been used as scaffolds for engineering cartilage with mature chondrocytes. In this study we investigated whether ACSs possess a chondrogenic induction activity that may benefit cartilage engineering with multipotent stem cells. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) isolated from newborn pigs were expanded in vitro and seeded on ACSs that were then stacked layer-by-layer to form BMSC-ACS constructs. Cells seeded on polyglycolic acid/polylactic acid (PGA/PLA) scaffolds served as a control. After 4 weeks of culture with or without additional chondrogenic factors, constructs were subcutaneously implanted into nude mice for another 4 weeks. Cartilage-like tissues were formed after 4 weeks of culture. However, formation of cartilage with a typical lacunar structure was only observed in induced groups. RT-PCR showed that aggrecan, COMP, type II collagen and Sox9 were expressed in all groups except the non-induced BMSC-PGA/PLA group. At 4 weeks post-implantation, cartilage formation was achieved in the induced BMSC-ACS group and partial cartilage formation was achieved in the non-induced BMSC-ACS group, confirmed by safranin O staining, toluidine blue staining and type II collagen immunostaining. In addition, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay demonstrated the presence of transforming growth factor-β1, insulin-like growth factor-1 and bone morphogenic protein-2 in ACSs. These results indicate that ACSs possess a chondrogenic induction activity that promotes BMSC differentiation.     

Microscale versus nanoscale scaffold architecture for mesenchymal stem cell chondrogenesis

Nanofiber scaffolds, produced by the electrospinning technique, have gained widespread attention in tissue engineering due to their morphological similarities to the native extracellular matrix. For cartilage repair, studies have examined their feasibility; however these studies have been limited, excluding the influence of other scaffold design features. This study evaluated the effect of scaffold design, specifically examining a range of nano to micron-sized fibers and resulting pore size and mechanical properties, on human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from the adult bone marrow during chondrogenesis. MSC differentiation was examined on these scaffolds with an emphasis on temporal gene expression of chondrogenic markers and the pluripotent gene, Sox2, which has yet to be explored for MSCs during chondrogenesis and in combination with tissue engineering scaffolds. Chondrogenic markers of aggrecan, chondroadherin, sox9, and collagen type II were highest for cells on micron-sized fibers (5 and 9?μm) with pore sizes of 27 and 29?μm, respectively, in comparison to cells on nano-sized fibers (300?nm and 600 to 1400?nm) having pore sizes of 2 and 3?μm, respectively. Undifferentiated MSCs expressed high levels of the Sox2 gene but displayed negligible levels on all scaffolds with or without the presence of inductive factors, suggesting that the physical features of the scaffold play an important role in differentiation. Micron-sized fibers with large pore structures and mechanical properties comparable to the cartilage ECM enhanced chondrogenesis, demonstrating architectural features as well as mechanical properties of electrospun fibrous scaffolds enhance differentiation.     

An in vitro study of collagen hydrogel to induce the chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells

It is controversial whether a biomaterial itself, rather than addition of any exogenous growth factor, could induce mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to differentiate into chondrogenic lineage, further to regenerate cartilage. Previous studies have shown that collagen-based hydrogel could induce MSCs to differentiate into chondrocytes in vivo but the in vitro studies only have a few reports. The evidence that biomaterials could induce chondrogenesis is not adequate. In this study, we tried to address whether type I collagen hydrogel has chondro-inductive capability in vitro and how this scaffold induces MSCs to generate cartilage tissue without exogenous growth factors in the culture medium. We encapsulated neonatal rabbit bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in type I collagen hydrogel homogeneously or implanted cell aggregates in hydrogel, and cultured them in nonchondrogenic inductive media. After at least 28 days culture, cells in the homogeneous group were tending to chondrogenic differentiation while cell density was high, and cells in the aggregate group have almost gone through chondrogenesis and formed neo-cartilage tissue with abundant specific extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition. These results indicate collagen hydrogel has inherent inductivity for the chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs, and the optimum specification and tissue formation were accompanied with local high cell density. This research suggests a feasible strategy to induce the chondro differentiation of BMSCs independent of exogenous growth factors, which may greatly contribute to clinical cartilage regeneration. ? 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A 100A: 2717-2725, 2012.     

同种异体和异种来源骨髓间充质干细胞诱导成软骨修复喉软骨缺损

BACKGROUND: Because chondrocytes have no regeneration ability, to select suitable seed cells is the primary problem to repair cartilage defects. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of allogeneic versus heterologous bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in repairing laryngeal cartilage defects after chondrogenic induction. METHODS: BMSCs from human and rabbits were isolated and cultured. Passage 3 cells were cultured in chondrogenic induction medium containing transforming transforming growth factor beta 1 and bone morphogenetic protein, and then were dropped onto a poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) scaffold. Thirty New Zealand rabbits were randomly assigned into three groups: blank control group, human BMSCs group, rabbit BMSCs group. Animal models of laryngeal cartilage defects were made in the three groups. After modeling, saline-soaked PLGA scaffold, PLAG scaffold with human BMSCs or with rabbit BMSCs were implanted respectively into the rabbits in the normal blank, human BMSCs and rabbit BMSCs groups. The expression of type II collagen in the larynx and its surrounding tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry at 4 and 8 weeks postoperatively. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The animals in each group breathed normally with no presence of wheezing, and their eating and activity were good. Moreover, there was no purulency or infection in the three groups. At 4 and 8 weeks after operation, the positive rates of type II collagen in the two BMSCs groups were significantly higher than that in the blank control group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between two BMSCs groups (P > 0.05). These results show that both allogeneic and heterologous BMSCs have good therapeutic effects on the repair of laryngeal cartilage defects in rabbits.      

Cartilage regeneration using mesenchymal stem cells and a three-dimensional poly-lactic-glycolic acid (PLGA) scaffold

Cartilage engineered from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) requires a scaffold to keep the cells in the cartilage defect and to act as a support for inducing hyaline cartilage formation. We developed a novel three-dimensional special poly-lactic-glycolic acid (PLGA) scaffold that provided structural support and stimulated repair. Three-dimensional PLGA scaffolds seeded with cultured MSCs were transplanted into large defects in rabbit knees and analyzed histologically at 4 and 12 weeks after the operation. Our findings showed that in the engineered cartilage with the PLGA scaffold, the defects were filled with smooth, shiny white tissue macroscopically and hyaline-like cartilage histologically at 12 weeks after the transplantation. The structure of the novel PLGA scaffolds provided architectural support for the differentiation of progenitor cells and demonstrated successful induction of in vivo chondrogenesis.     

骨髓间充质干细胞向软骨细胞分化的研究进展

骨髓间充质干细胞(BMSCs)是存在于骨髓内的一种多能干结缔组织前体细胞,具有多向分化潜能,也是最有可能成为软骨组织工程的种子细胞来源。本文从BMSCs诱导成软骨细胞的方法和研究进展做一综述,如体外细胞团聚集诱导培养、体外单层细胞诱导培养、体外三维支架环境中诱导培养、体内软骨微环境诱导培养、和软骨细胞体外共培养诱导以及基因转染诱导培养等,这也是软骨组织工程研究中不可缺少的重要环节。     

CaMKII plays a part in the chondrogenesis of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells

Aims: The purpose of the study is to observe the functions of calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) in the induced chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Methods: BMSCs was in vitro isolated and cultured for induced chondrogenesis. Western blot was used to ascertain the expression of CaMKII and phosphorylated CaMKII (PCaMKII, activatory CaMKII) in chondrogenic induced BMSCs. MTT method was utilized to observe the impact of CaMKII on the proliferation of BMSCs. The generation of cartilage matrix in BMSCs cells was detected by toluidine blue staining. The levels of cartilage marker genes COL2A1, Aggrecan and SOX9 in BMSCs were gained by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-QPCR). Finally, BMSCs proliferation, cartilage matrix generation and the changes of COL2A1, Aggrecan and SOX9 were surveyed after CaMKII being blocked by CaMKII inhibitor KN93. Results: Expression of CaMKII and PCaMKII could be found in chondrogenic induced BMSCs. CaMKII had no significant influence on BMSCs proliferation, but the toluidine blue staining was obviously lighter, indicating a significant decline in the expression of COL2A1, Aggrecan and SOX9. Conclusion: As one of the factors influencing the chondrogenic capacity of BMSCs, CaMKII does not impact on BMSCs proliferation, but it can inhibit the chondrogenic ability of BMSCs by influencing its differentiation.     

重组hTGF-β1基因转染的BMSCs在体内成软骨能力的初步研究

目的重组hTGF-β1腺病毒(adeno-hTGF-β1)转染的BMSCs在体内成软骨能力的初步研究,探讨其作为组织工程化软骨的种子细胞的可行性。方法重组adeno-hTGF-β1转染猪BMSCs,酶联免疫吸附定量检测(ELISA法)重组腺病毒转染hTGF-β1蛋白的表达。然后消化收集重组腺病毒转染后的BMSCs,均匀接种于圆盘状PGA支架上,对照组转染adeno-LacZ,然后植入裸鼠背部皮下,在植入后第3周取材,分别行大体观察、组织学、II型胶原免疫组化和蛋白聚糖含量检测对形成组织进行评价。结果 ELISA结果显示adeno-hTGF-β1转染的BMSCs,其hTGF-β1表达量是转染adeno-lacZ 的BMSCs 2.65倍( P0.05)。植入裸鼠体内后3周取材,实验组HE染色观察可见有软骨形成,但较不均匀,并被纤维组织分割,形成的软骨组织区域可见软骨细胞包埋在软骨陷窝内;对照组可见仅有少量软骨形成,被大量的纤维组织和未降解的PGA支架包裹,实验组和对照组形成软骨占总组织百分比,分别为(41.83±4.64)%和(17.50±2.85)%,P0.05。Safranin’O染色显示,实验组形成的软骨组织区域都有被染成桔红色蛋白多糖类基质分泌,着色比对照组更深。实验组形成的软骨组织区域有大量棕黄色的II型胶原颗粒,而对照组仅有少量的棕黄色的II型胶原颗粒,实验组形成的软骨组织中的蛋白聚糖含量多于正常猪耳软骨。结论重组hTGF-β1腺病毒转染BMSCs作为种子细胞,在裸鼠体内能促使软骨组织形成,从而为hTGF-β1基因转染的BMSCs在软骨组织工程应用中奠定了基础。     

以转染CDMP1基因的BMSCs修复软骨缺损

 目的 探讨CDMP1基因转染的骨髓间充质干细胞（BMSCs）负载于聚乳酸-羟基乙酸（PLGA）支架上修复喉软骨缺损的能力,并对其修复效果做出初步评估。方法 用反转录聚合酶链式反应（RT-PCR）和免疫印迹法(Western blot)检测hCDMP1mRNA和蛋白的表达;用免疫组织化学方法检测Ⅱ型胶原蛋白(ColⅡ)以及糖胺聚糖(GAG)的表达;将转染前后的细胞支架培养体系移植入兔甲状软骨全层缺损处,从大体、组织学方面观察其对软骨缺损的修复作用。结果 腺病毒感染方法可以将外源hCDMP1基因成功转入BMSCs,并使其获得稳定表达;和对照组比较,转染hCDMP1基因的BMSCs分泌ColⅡ、GAG等软骨特异性基质的能力增强,有促进软骨分化趋势;转染细胞支架复合物可更加有效地修复喉软骨缺损。结论 转染hCDMP1基因的BMSCs/PLGA三维生物支架复合物移植动物体内可修复喉软骨缺损。     

Regeneration of ovine articular cartilage defects by cell-free polymer-based implants

The aim of our study was the evaluation of a cell-free cartilage implant that allows the recruitment of mesenchymal stem and progenitor cells by chemo-attractants and subsequent guidance of the progenitors to form cartilage repair tissue after microfracture. Chemotactic activity of human serum on human mesenchymal progenitors was tested in 96-well chemotaxis assays and chondrogenic differentiation was assessed by gene expression profiling after stimulating progenitors with hyaluronan in high-density cultures. Autologous serum and hyaluronan were combined with polyglycolic acid (PGA) scaffolds and were implanted into full-thickness articular cartilage defects of the sheep pre-treated with microfracture. Defects treated with microfracture served as controls. Human serum was a potent chemo-attractant and efficiently recruited mesenchymal progenitors. Chondrogenic differentiation of progenitors upon stimulation with hyaluronan was shown by the induction of typical chondrogenic marker genes like type II collagen and aggrecan. Three months after implantation of the cell-free implant, histological analysis documented the formation of a cartilaginous repair tissue. Controls treated with microfracture showed no formation of repair tissue. The cell-free cartilage implant consisting of autologous serum, hyaluronan and PGA utilizes the migration and differentiation potential of mesenchymal progenitors for cartilage regeneration and is well suited for the treatment of cartilage defects after microfracture.     

Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) microspheres as an injectable scaffold for cartilage tissue engineering

Injectable scaffold has raised great interest for tissue regeneration in vivo, because it allows easy filling of irregularly shaped defects and the implantation of cells through minimally invasive surgical procedures. In this study, we evaluated poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microsphere as an injectable scaffold for in vivo cartilage tissue engineering. PLGA microspheres (30-80 microm in diameter) were injectable through various gauges of needles, as the microspheres did not obstruct the needles and microsphere size exclusion was not observed at injection. The culture of chondrocytes on PLGA microspheres in vitro showed that the microspheres were permissive for chondrocyte adhesion to the microsphere surface. Rabbit chondrocytes were mixed with PLGA microspheres and injected immediately into athymic mouse subcutaneous sites. Chondrocyte transplantation without PLGA microspheres and PLGA microsphere implantation without chondrocytes served as controls. Four and 9 weeks after implantation, chondrocytes implanted with PLGA microspheres formed solid, white cartilaginous tissues, whereas no gross evidence of cartilage tissue formation was noted in the control groups. Histological analysis of the implants by hematoxylin and eosin staining showed mature and well-formed cartilage. Alcian blue/safranin O staining and Masson's trichrome staining indicated the presence of highly sulfated glycosaminoglycans and collagen, respectively, both of which are the major extracellular matrices of cartilage. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the collagen was mainly type II, the major collagen type in cartilage. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using PLGA microspheres as an injectable scaffold for in vivo cartilage tissue engineering. This scaffold may be useful to regenerate cartilaginous tissues through minimally invasive surgical procedures in orthopedic, maxillofacial, and urologic applications.     

The effect of co-culturing costal chondrocytes and dental pulp stem cells combined with exogenous FGF9 protein on chondrogenesis and ossification in engineered cartilage

Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs), which arise from cranial neural crest cells, are multipotent, making them a candidate for use in tissue engineering that may be especially useful for craniofacial tissues. Costal chondrocytes (CCs) can be easily obtained and demonstrate higher initial cell yields and expansion than articular chondrocytes. CCs have been found to retain chondrogenic capacity that can effectively repair articular defects. In this study, human CCs were co-cultured with human DPSCs, and the results showed that the CCs were able to supply a chondro-inductive niche that promoted the DPSCs to undergo chondrogenic differentiation and to enhance the formation of cartilage. Although CCs alone could not prevent the mineralization of chondro-differentiated DPSCs, CCs combined with exogenous FGF9 were able to simultaneously promote the chondrogenesis of DPSCs and partially inhibit their mineralization. Furthermore, FGF9 may activate this inhibition by binding to FGFR3 and enhancing the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in DPSCs. Our results strongly suggest that the co-culture of CCs and DPSCs combined with exogenous FGF9 can simultaneously enhance chondrogenesis and partially inhibit ossification in engineered cartilage.     

自体脂肪间充质干细胞复合人脐带Wharton胶支架修复兔膝关节软骨缺损****◇

背景：脐带Wharton胶富含透明质酸,糖胺多糖及胶原等,成分与天然软骨细胞外基质类似,因此由人脐带提取的Wharton胶很可能是一种较为理想的软骨组织工程支架材料。 目的：评价自体脂肪间充质干细胞复合人脐带Wharton胶支架修复兔膝关节软骨缺损的效果。 方法：将终浓度为1010 L -1、成软骨方向诱导后的兔自体脂肪间充质干细胞与人脐带Wharton胶支架复合,继续培养1周构建组织工程软骨,对兔膝关节全层软骨缺损进行修复(实验组),并与单纯支架修复的对照组及空白组进行比较。术后3个月对修复组织行大体观察、组织学检测、糖胺多糖、总胶原定量检测及生物力学测定。 结果与结论：实验组的缺损多为透明软骨修复,对照组以纤维组织修复为主,空白组无明显组织修复。提示脂肪间充质干细胞作为软骨组织工程种子细胞具有可行性;实验构建的组织工程软骨能有效的修复关节软骨缺损,人脐带Wharton胶可作为软骨组织工程良好的支架材料。     

The effects of co-delivery of BMSC-affinity peptide and rhTGF-β1 from coaxial electrospun scaffolds on chondrogenic differentiation

Electrospinning is a promising technology for the fabrication of scaffolds in cartilage tissue engineering. Two other important elements for tissue engineering are seed cells and bioactive factors. Bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSCs) and rhTGF-β1 are extensively studied for cartilage regeneration. However, little is known about scaffolds that can both specifically enrich BMSCs and release rhTGF-β1 to promote chondrogenic differentiation of the incorporated BMSCs. In this study, we first fabricated coaxial electrospun fibers using a polyvinyl pyrrolidone/bovine serum albumin/rhTGF-β1 composite solution as the core fluid and poly(ε-caprolactone) solution as the sheath fluid. Structural analysis revealed that scaffold fibers were relatively uniform with a diameter of 674.4 ± 159.6 nm; the core–shell structure of coaxial fibers was homogeneous and proteins were evenly distributed in the core. Subsequently, the BMSC-specific affinity peptide E7 was conjugated to the coaxial electrospun fibers to develop a co-delivery system of rhTGF-β1 and E7. The results of ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance indicate that the conjugation between the E7 and scaffolds was covalent. The rhTGF-β1 incorporated in E7-modified scaffolds could maintain sustained release and bioactivity. Cell adhesion, spreading, and DNA content analyses indicate that the E7 promoted BMSC initial adhesion, and that the scaffolds containing both E7 and rhTGF-β1 (CBrhTE) were the most favorable for BMSC survival. Meanwhile, CBrhTE scaffolds could promote the chondrogenic differentiation ability of BMSCs. Overall, the CBrhTE scaffold could synchronously improve all three of the basic components required for cartilage tissue engineering in vitro, which paves the road for designing and building more efficient tissue scaffolds for cartilage repair.