Engineered cartilage generated by nasal chondrocytes is responsive to physical forces resembling joint loading

Abstract

Objective. To determine whether engineered cartilage generated by nasal chondrocytes (ECN) is responsive to different regimens of loading associated with joint kinematics and previously shown to be stimulatory of engineered cartilage generated by articular chondrocytes (ECA).Methods. Human nasal and articular chondrocytes, harvested from 5 individuals, were expanded and cultured for 2 weeks into porous polymeric scaffolds. The resulting ECN and ECA were then maintained under static conditions or exposed to the following loading regimens: regimen 1, single application of cyclic deformation for 30 minutes; regimen 2, intermittent application of cyclic deformation for a total of 10 days, followed by static culture for 2 weeks; regimen 3, application of surface motion for a total of 10 days.Results. Prior to loading, ECN constructs contained significantly higher amounts of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and type II collagen compared with ECA constructs. ECN responded to regimen 1 by increasing collagen and proteoglycan synthesis, to regimen 2 by increasing the accumulation of GAG and type II collagen as well as the dynamic modulus, and to regimen 3 by increasing the expression of superficial zone protein, at the messenger RNA level and the protein level, as well as the release of hyaluronan. ECA constructs were overall less responsive to all loading regimens, likely due to the lower extracellular matrix content.Conclusion. Human ECN is responsive to physical forces resembling joint loading and can up-regulate molecules typically involved in joint lubrication. These findings should prompt future in vivo studies exploring the possibility of using nasal chondrocytes as a cell source for articular cartilage repair.

Meniscus repair and regeneration: review on current methods and research potential

“…Thanks to their high chondrogenic potential, ease of harvesting, lower inter-individual variability, faster proliferation and positive response to load, NC have been extensively studied for cartilage tissue engineering purposes (Scotti et al, 2012;Candrian et al, 2008;Tay et al, 2004). In particular, their capability to adapt to a joint-like environment (low-oxygen tension, inflammatory environment and load) makes them a suitable cell source for joint regeneration (Scotti et al, 2012;Candrian et al, 2008).…”

“…In particular, their capability to adapt to a joint-like environment (low-oxygen tension, inflammatory environment and load) makes them a suitable cell source for joint regeneration (Scotti et al, 2012;Candrian et al, 2008). However, to date there is no report in the literature of NC-based approaches for meniscus regeneration.…”

Characterization of auricular chondrocytes and auricular/articular chondrocyte co-cultures in terms of an application in articular cartilage repair

“…After prolonged monolayer culture chondrocytes are irreversibly dedifferentiated and no longer suitable for ACT since they do not produce a hyaline-like ECM (9)(10)(11)(12). The use of heterotopic chondrocytes as an additional non-articular cell source might be a promising novel approach in articular cartilage repair and has currently started to attract more and more attention (13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21). Auricular cartilage contains a considerably higher number of cells and is much more easily accessible as well as being characterized by a lower donor site morbidity, compared with articular cartilage (18).…”

A novel implantation technique for engineered osteo-chondral grafts

“…Chondrocytes were isolated, expanded for about 8-10 doublings as previously described [4] and resuspended in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum, 0.1 mM non-essential amino acids, 1 mM sodium Fig. 1 a The Hyaff Ò -11 non-woven mesh, on the left side of the picture, was shaped to fit exactly onto the Tutobone Ò cylinder.…”