The in vitro effects of bupivacaine on articular chondrocytes.
We have studied the effects of bupivacaine on human and bovine articular chondrocytes in vitro. Time-lapse confocal microscopy of human articular chondrocytes showed > 95% cellular death after exposure to 0.5% bupivacaine for 30 minutes. Human and bovine chondrocytes exposed to 0.25% bupivacaine had a time-dependent reduction in viability, with longer exposure times resulting in higher cytotoxicity. Cellular death continued even after removal of 0.25% bupivacaine. After exposure to 0.25% bupivacaine for 15 minutes, flow cytometry showed bovine chondrocyte viability to be 41% of saline control after seven days. After exposure to 0.125% bupivacaine for up to 60 minutes, the viability of both bovine and human chondrocytes was similar to that of control groups. These data show that prolonged exposure 0.5% and 0.25% bupivacaine solutions are potentially chondrotoxic.
Cartilage Restoration Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, 3471 Fifth Ave, Suite 911, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA. chucr@upmc.edu
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D000464:Alginates; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002045:Bupivacaine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D002417:Cattle; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence
D000464:Alginates; D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D002045:Bupivacaine