Experimental study of in vitro culture of chondrocytes combined with injectable calcium alginate gel for neo-cartilage tissue engineering / 中华骨科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe histomorphology of neo-cartilage obtained with tissue-engineering by combining calcium alginate gel and in vitro cultrue of chondrocytes. Methods Articular chondrocytes from the knee joints of 2-week-old New Zealand white rabbits were harvested, expanded in cell culture, and following the second generation of the culture, the chondrocyte suspension was mixed with calcium alginate gel resulting in a cell density of 5? 10 6/ml. Finally the mixture, which contained 1％ sodium alginate, 40 mmol/L calcium gluconate, 0.135 mol/L NaCl, 0.1 mol/L K 2HPO 4 and 5? 10 6 chondrocytes per milliliter, were injected into the dorsal subcutaneous tissue in rabbits of experimental groups (A and B). Animals of the control groups (C and D) were injected with calcium alginate without chondrocytes or chondrocytes without calcium alginate. Specimens were harvested at the 2nd and 4th week after injection, and stained with HE and toluidine blue. Results In the HE stained specimens in the experimental groups, proliferation of chondrocytes was demonstrated at the 2nd week and the formation of neo-cartilage at the 4th week after injection of calcium alginate chondrocyte-composite. Toluidine blue stained specimens showed positive staining of chondrocytes and cartilage matrix of neo-cartilage. In some animals injected with chondrocytes without calcium alginate, relative small amount of neo-cartilage was also formed and no neo-cartilage was observed in animals injected with calcium alginate without chondrocytes. Conclusion Injectable calcium alginate-chondrocyte-composite can induce tissue engineered neo-cartilage in allogenic animal.