Xiphoid Process-Derived Chondrocytes: A Novel Cell Source for Elastic Cartilage Regeneration

Abstract

Reconstruction of elastic cartilage requires a source of chondrocytes that display a reliable differentiation tendency. Predetermined tissue progenitor cells are ideal candidates for meeting this need; however, it is difficult to obtain donor elastic cartilage tissue because most elastic cartilage serves important functions or forms external structures, making these tissues indispensable. We found vestigial cartilage tissue in xiphoid processes and characterized it as hyaline cartilage in the proximal region and elastic cartilage in the distal region. Xiphoid process-derived chondrocytes (XCs) showed superb in vitro expansion ability based on colony-forming unit fibroblast assays, cell yield, and cumulative cell growth. On induction of differentiation into mesenchymal lineages, XCs showed a strong tendency toward chondrogenic differentiation. An examination of the tissue-specific regeneration capacity of XCs in a subcutaneous-transplantation model and autologous chondrocyte implantation model confirmed reliable regeneration of elastic cartilage regardless of the implantation environment. On the basis of these observations, we conclude that xiphoid process cartilage, the only elastic cartilage tissue source that can be obtained without destroying external shape or function, is a source of elastic chondrocytes that show superb in vitro expansion and reliable differentiation capacity. These findings indicate that XCs could be a valuable cell source for reconstruction of elastic cartilage. STEM CELLS

Microfluidic‐Printed Microcarrier for In Vitro Expansion of Adherent Stem Cells in 3D Culture Platform

“…Analysis of the In Vitro Differentiation Potential : Differentiation to one of three different lineages—adipogenesis, osteogenesis, and chondrogenesis—was induced, as described previously . Briefly, BMSCs were plated on cover slips or 2.5D microcarriers and were cultured to 90% confluence before inducing differentiation.…”

Deer antler extract potentially facilitates xiphoid cartilage growth and regeneration and prevents inflammatory susceptibility by regulating multiple functional genes

“…Thus, cartilage regeneration currently is still a worldwide challenge [ 20 , 21 ]. Among the different types of cartilage, XC can be obtained conveniently, and has a potential capacity for cartilage reconstruction due to its expansion and differentiation characteristics, and it has been widely used as a tissue model for investigation cartilage injury and repair [ 22 – 24 ]. Furthermore, it has been shown that XC contains cartilaginous tissue with a similar histological structure to that of articular cartilage, and histological and metabolic changes in murine XC are similar to those in articular cartilage after mechanical injury [ 25 ].…”

A Pathophysiological Validation of Collagenase II-Induced Biochemical Osteoarthritis Animal Model in Rabbit

“…Discerning the difference of pathophysiology in animal model is very important because research focus of regenerative medicine puts weight not only on reconstructive therapeutic regimen [7][8][9][10] but also preventive strategy before or at the onset of disease progression [11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. Therefore, understanding the subtle difference of disease mechanism and realization of rightful animal model is very important in the investigation of the therapy.…”