In Vitro Tissue Engineering of Cartilage using Autologous Fibrin Glue and Chondrocytes.
- Author:
Sung Pyo HONG
;
Jin Sik BURM
;
Jae Kyung PARK
;
Jin Young KIM
;
Doo Hyung LEE
- Publication Type:In Vitro ; Original Article
- MeSH:
Bioengineering;
Cartilage*;
Cell Count;
Chondrocytes*;
Collagen;
Ear;
Fibrin Tissue Adhesive*;
Fibrin*;
Fibrinogen;
Fungi;
Hardness;
Humans;
Joints;
Plasma;
Polymers;
Thrombin;
Tissue Engineering*
- From:Journal of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons
1999;26(3):383-391
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
Neomorphogenesis of cartilage using chondrocyte-polymer constructs is a potential source for development of cartilage reconstruction. Current tissue engineering techniques of neocartilage rely on in vivo implantation of polymer-chondrocyte constructs. The purpose of this study was to find a way to bioengineer cartilage in vitro by entrapping chondrocytes in a molded autologous fibrin glue. Chondrocytes isolated from the cartilage of rabbit joints were combined with fibrinogen extracted by a single cryoprecipitation of autologous plasma, and they were then polymerized with thrombin to create a fibrin glue with a final cell density of 2.5x10(6) cells/ml. The collagen for a control study was used as a polymer. The polymer-chondrocyte constructs were cultured for 4 weeks and the fibrin-chondrocyte constructs molded in the shape of a human ear were cultured for 6 weeks in vitro. Morphometric, histochemical, and histomorphometric analysis including glycosaminoglycan quantitation confirmed the following results: 1) Highly-concentrated autologous fibrinogen was easily extracted by a single cryoprecipition of autologous olasma. 2) The fibrin-chondrocyte constructs demonstrated the presence of actively proliferating chondrocytes with the production of cartilaginous matrix(collagen and glycosaminoglycan) at 1 week after culture, as well as gross and histologic evidence similar to those of normal cartilage at 3-4 weeks after culture. 3) The collagen-chondrocyte constructs demonstrated lower degrees of hardness and transparency, as well as a lower density of cells and glycosaminoglycan during the culture period. 4) Neocartilage generated from fibrin-chondrocyte constructs in the shape of a human ear nearly retained their original configuration and size without degeneration for 6 weeks of culture in vitro. This study demonstrated a novel method for bioengineering the molded cartilage in vitro using autologous fibrin glue as a matrix scaffold. The generated cartilage showed gross and histologic evidence similar to those of normal cartilage, retaining the original gross dimension. With further refinement, this may be a new application of tissue engineering for the reconstruction of cartilage.
