ORIGINAL ARTICLE Laser surface modification of decellularized extracellular cartilage matrix for cartilage tissue engineering Eva Goldberg-Bockhorn 1 & Silke Schwarz 2 & Rachana Subedi 1 & Alexander Elsässer 1 & Ricarda Riepl 1 & Paul Walther 3 & Ludwig Körber 4 & Roman Breiter 5 & Karl Stock 6 & Nicole Rotter 7 Received: 2 July 2017 /Accepted: 27 November 2017 # Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2017 Abstract The implantation of autologous cartilage as the gold standard operative procedure for the reconstruction of cartilage defects in the head and neck region unfortunately implicates a variety of negative effects at the donor site. Tissue- engineered cartilage appears to be a promising alternative. However, due to the complex requirements, the optimal material is yet to be determined. As demonstrated previously, decellularized porcine cartilage (DECM) might be a good option to engineer vital cartilage. As the dense structure of DECM limits cellular infiltration, we investigated surface modifications of the scaffolds by carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and Er:YAG laser application to facilitate the migration of chondrocytes inside the scaffold. After laser treatment, the scaffolds were seeded with human nasal septal chondrocytes and analyzed with respect to cell migration and formation of new extracellular matrix proteins. Histology, immunohis- tochemistry, SEM, and TEM examination revealed an increase of the scaffolds’ surface area with proliferation of cell numbers on the scaffolds for both laser types. The lack of cytotoxic effects was demonstrated by standard cytotoxicity testing. However, a thermal denaturation area seemed to hinder the migration of the chondrocytes inside the scaffolds, even more so after CO 2 laser treatment. Therefore, the Er:YAG laser seemed to be better suitable. Further modifications of the laser adjustments or the use of alternative laser systems might be advantageous for surface enlargement and to facilitate migration of chondrocytes into the scaffold in one step. Keywords Cartilage . Chondrocytes . Surface modification . Tissue engineering . Er:YAG laser . Carbon dioxide laser Introduction Functional defects and deformations of nasal structures as a result of trauma, tumor, or congenital lesions mostly demand complex reconstruction surgeries. Due to the fact that cartilage lacks an intrinsic regeneration capacity because of its high differentiation level and the slow metabolism of the tissue, as well as for the lack of a distinct vascularization [1], the reconstruction of such defects is of outstanding concern in otorhinolaryngology. Standard multistage surgical procedures include the harvesting of septal, auricular, or rib cartilage [2–4] which might cause additional donor-site morbidity, transplant degeneration, as well as unsatisfying cosmetic re- sults [5, 6]. Sometimes sufficient tissue for harvesting might not be available due to prior trauma or surgery. Tissue engineering provides a chance to solve these problems. Multiple materials and techniques have been developed [7–12], but until today none has been convinc- ing due to the complex requirements demanding shape * Eva Goldberg-Bockhorn eva.goldberg@uniklinik-ulm.de 1 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Ulm University Medical Center, Frauensteige 12, 89075 Ulm, Germany 2 Department of Anatomy, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg and Nuernberg, Prof. Ernst Nathan Str. 1, 90419 Nuernberg, Germany 3 Central Facility for Electron Microscopy, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany 4 Institute of Bioprocess Engineering, Erlangen University, Paul-Gordan-Str. 3, 91052 Erlangen, Germany 5 Chair of Medical Bio-Technology, University of Erlangen, Paul-Gordan-Str. 3, 91052 Erlangen, Germany 6 Institut für Lasertechnologien in der Medizin und Meßtechnik, an der Universität Ulm, Helmholtzstr. 12, 89081 Ulm, Germany 7 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Mannheim University Medical Center, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167 Mannheim, Germany Lasers in Medical Science https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-017-2402-8