2015 ISAKOS Biennial Congress ePoster #404

Evaluation of the Viability and Chondrogenic Capability of Cadaveric Chondrocytes for Clinical Application in Cartilage Repair

Anell Olivos-Meza, PhD, Mexico City MEXICO
Clemente Ibarra, MD, Mexico City MEXICO
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF REHABILITATION, MEXICO CITY, MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

FDA Status Not Applicable

Summary: Cadaveric donor cartilage provides constant amount of viable chondrocytes. Expression of constitutive chondrocyte markers is retained, but we do not know how much, and if those expression levels can be reversed with the addition of appropriate stimulus. Chondrocytes from younger donors would show stronger and more stable chondrogenic activity than adult ones.

Rate:

Abstract:

Problem: The treatment of cartilage defects is a major challenge in the orthopedic field. Donor­site morbidity, limited numbers of cells, and loss of phenotype during expansion represent critical obstacles for cartilage repair.
Objectives: To compare the viability and number of chondrocytes isolated from live donor articular cartilage versus cadveric donor articular cartilage.

Methodology

Twenty-two osteochondral biopsies from cadaveric donor and ten osteochondral plugs from live donor were included. Bone was separated from cartilage and the last was chopped and digested in type-I collagenasa during five hours. Counting and viability was assessed by tripan-blue stain.

Results

Mean time from death to cartilage processing in cadaveric donors was 21.75 hours (±6.13) while in live donors cartilage samples were processed in a mean of 1.9 hours (±0.54). Mean number of chondrocytes per milligram of cartilage in cadaveric donors was 1,951 (±70.3) while in live donors the mean was 4,396 (±2506) cells. Significant statistical difference was found in processing time (biopsy to chondrocyte isolation) between cadaveric donor (mean 21.7-hours) and live donor samples (mean 1.9-hours) (p=0.007). We did not found significant difference between the number of primary chondrocytes per milligram of tissue isolated from cadaveric versus live donor cartilage (p=0.12).

Significance

Is posibble to isolate viable chondrocytes from cadaveric articular cartilage processed between the first 22 hours of dead obtaining a similar number of cells than in live donors. Cadaveric articular cartilage can be a reliable source for the acquisition of sufficient number of chondrocytes of the appropiate phenotype for cryopreservation or expanssion.