Clonal growth of human articular cartilage and the functional role of the periosteum in chondrogenesis

Articular chondrocytes are able to form clones of different properties in agarose and the periosteum has a capacity of stimulating chondrocyte clonal growth and differentiation and secretes significant amounts of IL-6, IL-8, GM-CSF and TGF-β. It may be that the repair of cartilage defects with seeded chondrocytes could benefit from the combination with a periosteal graft. The production of TGF-β by implanted chondrocytes could influence the chondrogenic cells in the periosteum to start a periosteal chondrogenesis and together with the matrix from implanted chondrocyte production, a repair of cartilaginous appearance may develop; a dual chondrogenic response is possible.