Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disorder worldwide. Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) is an established treatment for articular cartilage defects of the knee, but its effectiveness in OA is still under investigation. In this study, we investigated the effects of a newly developed mammalian-derived collagen matrix, NC-Col, on the proliferation, migration, adhesion, and gene expression of human articular cartilage-derived chondrocytes from OA patients in vitro, using proliferation assays, wound healing assays, adhesion assays, RT-qPCR, and RNA sequencing, respectively. In addition, the effects of NC-Col were compared with three different commercially available collagen matrices, and the underlying molecular mechanisms through which NC-Col influences these cellular behaviours were explored. Our results showed that NC-Col, used as a coating matrix, enhances cell proliferation, maintains the phenotype, and upregulates Proteoglycan 4 (PRG4) in human articular cartilage-derived chondrocytes. Inhibition of the PI3K-Akt signalling pathway was found to be involved in some of these effects. In conclusion, our findings suggest that NC-Col collagen may offer new strategies for improving therapeutic outcomes in OA, particularly in the context of ACI.
