Three-dimensional Co-culture of Chondrocytes and Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Degenerative Arthritis Therapy

초록

Several ways of treatments with chondrocytes have been used for the repair of degenerative arthritis. However, obtaining sufficient numbers of cells for the treatments is usually difficult. This shortage problem can be overcome by co-culture of chondrocytes and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to improve chondrogenesis. In this work, a large number of chondrocytes could be harvested by co-cultivating chondrocytes with MSCs using three-dimensional culture system. The co-culture showed higher viability and proliferation than monoculture of chondrocytes in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional culture systems. Controlled spheres were formed in 96-well hanging drop plates. Scale-up of controlled spheres was performed by stirred method in 125-mL spinner flasks. Agglomerates of spheres were dissociated via pipetting and the controlled sphere forms were maintained for five days. It was clear that chondrogenesis and viability of chondrocytes were promoted by co-culture with MSCs. This approach shows potential in cartilage regeneration since it can provide sufficient number of chondrocytes for degenerative arthritis therapy using controlled spheres.