Extracellular matrix loss is one of the early manifestations of intervertebral disc degeneration. Stem cell-based tissue engineering creates an appropriate microenvironment for long term cell survival, promising for NP regeneration. We created a decellularized nucleus pulposus hydrogel (DNPH) from fresh bovine nucleus pulposus. Decellularization removed NP cells effectively, while highly preserving their structures and major biochemical components, such as glycosaminoglycan and collagen II. DNPH could be gelled as a uniform grid structure in situ at 37°C for 30 min. Adding adipose marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells into the hydrogel for three-dimensional culture resulted in good bioactivity and biocompatibility in vitro. Meanwhile, NP-related gene expression significantly increased without the addition of exogenous biological factors. In summary, the thermosensitive and injectable hydrogel, which has low toxicity and inducible differentiation, could serve as a bio-scaffold, bio-carrier, and three-dimensional culture system. Therefore, DNPH has an outstanding potential for intervertebral disc regeneration.

细胞外基质丢失是椎间盘退变的早期表现之一。基于干细胞的组织工程为细胞长期存活创造了合适的微环境，有望促进 NP 再生。我们从新鲜牛髓核中制备了脱细胞髓核水凝胶 (DNPH)。脱细胞有效地去除了 NP 细胞，同时高度保留了它们的结构和主要生化成分，如糖胺聚糖和胶原蛋白 II。DNPH 可以在 37°C 下原位凝胶化为均匀的网格结构 30 分钟。将脂肪骨髓间充质干细胞添加到水凝胶中进行三维培养，在体外具有良好的生物活性和生物相容性。同时，在不添加外源生物因素的情况下，NP相关基因表达显着增加。总之，具有低毒性和可诱导分化的热敏可注射水凝胶可用作生物支架、生物载体和三维培养系统。因此，DNPH 具有突出的椎间盘再生潜力。