Tissue engineered cartilage: Utilization of autologous serum and serum-free media for chondrocyte culture

SummaryBackgroundStandard culture medium contains bovine serum. If standard culture methodology is used for future human tissue-engineering, unknown risks of infection from bovine disease or immune reaction to foreign proteins theoretically might occur. In this study we wished to evaluate the potential of chondrocyte expansion using autologous and serum free media.MethodsAutologous auricular cartilage was harvested in a swine model. An initial concentration of 100 × 103 cells per group were expanded in three groups. Group A, F-12 with 10% fetal calf serum; Group B, F-12 supplemented with 10% autologous serum; Group C, F-12 supplemented with growth factors. Cell numbers were counted at days 3, 6, 9 and 12.ResultsThe cells in all the three groups exhibited normal chondrocyte morphology. At early time points there was a statistically significant difference in the number of cells between Group A and the two other groups (p < 0.05). By day 12, both Groups A and C demonstrated greater cell number as compared to Group B (p < 0.05).ConclusionThe results suggest that both autologous serum as well as serum free media might be substituted for the expansion of the number of chondrocytes, thus avoiding the potential need for a bovine serum supplement.