title: High hydrostatic pressure-induced cell death in human chondrocytes and chondrosarcoma cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In orthopedic surgery, sterilization of bone used for reconstruction of osteoarticular defects caused by malignant tumors is carried out in different ways. At present, to devitalize tumor-bearing osteochondral segments, extracorporal irradiation or autoclaving is mainly used, although both methods have substantial disadvantages, e.g. loss of biomechanical and/or biological integrity of the bone and destabilization of the articular surface. In this regard, high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment of bone is a new, advancing technology, now being used in preclinical testing to inactivate tumor cells. To find out if this technique is also suited for extracorporal inactivation of chondrocytes and chondral tumor cells, the effect of HHP on cell viability and morphology of human chondrocytes / chondrosarcoma cells was investigated in the present study.
  
  
  METHODS
  SW1353 chondrosarcoma cells and chondrocytes were subjected to HHP in the range of 50 to 350 MPa (10 min, 37 degrees C) and, subsequently, cell viability and cell morphology assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After exposure at 350 MPa, all HHP-treated chondral cells showed explicit morphological changes, evident by membrane ruffling and bleb formation; chondrosarcoma cells treated this way were irreversibly damaged and not alive.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We anticipate that, in orthopedic surgery, HHP eventually can serve as a novel, promising technical approach for cell inactivation (including tumor cells) and allow subsequent reimplantation of the osteoarticular autograft.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Technical University of Munich, Ismaninger Str. 22, D-81675 Muenchen, Germany.
authors.forename: Florian-Dominique
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Naal
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mengele
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schauwecker
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gollwitzer
authors.forename: Ludger
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gerdesmeyer
authors.forename: Ute
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Reuning
authors.forename: Wolfram
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mittelmeier
authors.forename: Reiner
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gradinger
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmitt
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Diehl
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016923:Cell Death / Q000502:physiology; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D002813:Chondrosarcoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D006874:Hydrostatic Pressure; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured