title: Cartilage from the edge of a debrided articular defect is inferior to that from a standard donor site when used for autologous chondrocyte cultivation.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the cultivation potential of cartilage taken from the debrided edge of a chronic lesion of the articular surface. A total of 14 patients underwent arthroscopy of the knee for a chronic lesion on the femoral condyles or trochlea. In addition to the routine cartilage biopsy, a second biopsy of cartilage was taken from the edge of the lesion. The cells isolated from both sources underwent parallel cultivation as monolayer and three-dimensional (3D) alginate culture. The cell yield, viability, capacity for proliferation, morphology and the expressions of typical cartilage genes (collagen I, COL1; collagen II, COL2; aggrecan, AGR; and versican, VER) were assessed. The cartilage differentiation indices (COL2/COL1, AGR/VER) were calculated. The control biopsies revealed a higher mean cell yield (1346 cells/mg vs 341 cells/mg), but similar cell proliferation, viability and morphology compared with the cells from the edge of the lesion. The cartilage differentiation indices were superior in control cells: COL2/COL1 (threefold in biopsies (non-significant)); sixfold in monolayer cultures (p = 0.012), and 7.5-fold in hydrogels (non-significant), AGR/VER (sevenfold in biopsies (p = 0.04), threefold (p = 0.003) in primary cultures and 3.5-fold in hydrogels (non-significant)). Our results suggest that the cultivation of chondrocytes solely from the edges of the lesion cannot be recommended for use in autologous chondrocyte implantation.
authors.affiliation: University Medical Centre, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Malicev
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barlič
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kregar-Velikonja
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stražar
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Drobnič
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001182:Arthroscopy; D001706:Biopsy; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000473:pathology*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D048430:Cell Shape; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000473:pathology* / Q000637:transplantation; D003646:Debridement; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult