ONE-STEP CARTILAGE REPAIR WITH MINCED CHONDRAL FRAGMENT ONTO A COMPOSITE SCAFFOLD: AN IN VITRO HUMAN STUDY AT LOW OXYGEN TENSION

Abstract

Minced cartilage fragments are a viable cell source for one stage cartilage repair. However, the joint surfaceis a low oxygen tension microenvironment and little evidence is present in literature regarding the behaviourof cartilage fragments in this peculiar condition. The aim of the study is i) to verify if low oxygen tension couldnegatively influence chondrocyte outgrowth from cartilage fragments into a Hyaluronic-Acid(HA)/fibrin scaffoldand ii) to evaluate its effects on the behaviour of migrating chondrocyte, compared to normoxic condition. A slightdecrease in chondrocyte migration and proliferation was observed in low oxygen tension cultures. Conversely, anincrease in the expression of SOX9, β-catenin, HIFs, collagen-I and II (p<0.05) in migrating chondrocytes fromlow oxygen tension cultures was present. Thus, a long term- exposure at low oxygen tension seems to improve thechondrocytic phenotype expression of cell outgrowing from cartilage fragments onto a HA/fibrin scaffold.