In vitro extracellular matrix accumulation of nasal and articular chondrocytes for intervertebral disc repair. Issue 4 (August 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Vedicherla, S.; Buckley, C.T.
• Is Part Of: Tissue & cell. Volume 49:Issue 4(2017)
• Page Start: 503
• Page End: 513
• Publication Date: 2017-08
• Subjects: Nasal cartilage -- Articular cartilage -- Oxygen -- Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β); Cytology -- Periodicals; 571.5
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tice.2017.05.002
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0040-8166

Abstract

Highlights: We investigated nasal chondrocytes as an alternative non-disc cell source. Nasal chondrocytes exhibited high matrix accumulation in low oxygen conditions. Osteogenesis was inhibited in IVD-like microenvironmental conditions. Study provides rationale for exploration of nasal chondrocytes for IVD repair. Abstract: Chondrocyte based regenerative therapies for intervertebral disc repair such as Autologous Disc Cell Transplantation (ADCT, CODON) and allogeneic juvenile chondrocyte implantation (NuQu ®, ISTO Technologies) have demonstrated good outcomes in clinical trials. However concerns remain with the supply demand reconciliation and issues surrounding immunoreactivity which exist for allogeneic-type technologies. The use of stem cells is challenging due to high growth factor requirements, regulatory barriers and differentiation towards a stable phenotype. Therefore, there is a need to identify alternative non-disc cell sources for the development and clinical translation of next generation therapies for IVD regeneration. In this study, we compared Nasal Chondrocytes (NC) as a non-disc alternative chondrocyte source with Articular Chondrocytes (AC) in terms of cell yield, morphology, proliferation kinetics and ability to produce key extracellular matrix components under 5% and 20% oxygen conditions, with and without exogenous TGF-β supplementation. Results indicated that NC maintained proliferative capacity with high amounts of sGAG and lower collagen accumulation in the absence of TGF-β supplementation under 5% oxygen conditions. Importantly, osteogenesis and calcification was inhibited for NC when cultured in IVD-like microenvironmental conditions. The present study provides a rationale for the exploration of nasal chondrocytes as a promising, potent and clinically feasible autologous cell source for putative IVD repair strategies.