Effect of proteoglycans on the differentiation of ATDC5 cells to chondrocytes

The effect of intact proteoglycan as a material for supporting the cell growth and tissue regeneration was discussed. The efficacy of proteoglycan on the regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation was evaluated by introducing the intact proteoglycan instead of using the GAG or core protein alone in an in vitro cultural system. The results indicated that proteoglycans could induce the differentiation of ATDC5 cells to chondrocytes. It was found that both heparan sulfate proteoglycan (CS/DSPG) could enhance the induced differentiation of ATDC5 cells to chondrocytes by insulin. The dual effect of proteoglycan showed its potential to be used in a newly developed bio-mimic material for cartilage repair and regeneration.