Abstract
Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI), a procedure for the repair of cartilage defects has gained wide acceptance in the US. Cells must be multiplied in vitro because of the very limited amount of donor biopsy material available. We have developed a culture system for culturing chondrocyte cells on three-dimensional scaffold that expanded cell and maintained their molecular phenotype as assessed by type II collagen and aggrecan production. This step was accomplished by culturing the isolated chondrocytes on the alginate scaffold until the cells have reorganized the cartilaginous-like cell aggregates. In this study, porcine articular chondrocytes were cultured on three-dimensional alginate scaffolds and subjected to biochemical and histological analyses at different time periods. The alginate scaffolds were dissolved by incubating the scaffolds in EDTA-buffer. The results reveal that the chondrocyte cells proliferate to 160-fold and without lose the ability of differentiation until 4 weeks of culture. The de novo tissue has relatively high ratio of proteoglycan and type II collagen. Histological examination of the tissue revealed it contained a cartilage-like matrix strongly stained with Safranin O and H&E. This cultured system appears an ideal approach for cartilage tissue engineering.