Chondrocyte Isolation from Loose Bodies—An Option for Reducing Donor Site Morbidity for Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation

This study investigates whether loose bodies, which are often discarded during surgery for osteochondritis dissecans, contain enough viable chondrocytes to be used for autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI). This could reduce the need to take cartilage biopsies from other areas of the knee, avoiding donor site morbidity. Chondrocytes isolated from loose bodies (LB-CH) were compared to control chondrocytes (Ctrl-CH) from non-weight-bearing joint regions and bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs). The study assessed their proliferation, viability, and ability to differentiate into cartilage cells after long-term expansion in the lab. The results suggest that LB-CH are a promising source of chondrocytes for ACI, as they showed comparable or even superior performance to Ctrl-CH in terms of proliferation, viability, and chondrogenic differentiation potential, while also avoiding the need for additional biopsies.

• 1
  LB-CH exhibited comparable viability and proliferation rates to control cells during long-term expansion, with no ultimate cell cycle arrest observed within 12 passages.
• 2
  The chondrogenic differentiation potential was comparable between LB-CH and Ctrl-CH, and both groups showed a significantly higher ability to form a hyaline cartilage matrix in vitro than BMSC.
• 3
  Histological analysis of native loose body specimens showed a typical tri-zone organization of cartilage tissue, exhibiting a healthy and highly organized cartilage structure.