Evaluation of Polycaprolactone-Associated Human Nasal Chondrocytes as a Therapeutic Agent for Cartilage Repair.

Background: In this study, we manufactured a complex of human nasal septal cartilage (hNC) with polycaprolactone (PCL) for transplantation into cartilaginous skeletal defects and evaluated their characteristics.
Methods: Nasal septum tissue was obtained from five patients aged ≥ 20 years who were undergoing septoplasty. hNCs were isolated and subcultured for three passages in vitro. To formulate the cell-PCL complex, we used type I collagen as an adhesive between chondrocyte and PCL. Immunofluorescence staining, cell viability and growth in the hNC-PCL complex, and mycoplasma contamination were assessed.
Results: hNCs in PCL showed viability ≥ 70% and remained at these levels for 9 h of incubation at 4 °C. Immunostaining of the hNC-PCL complex also showed high expression levels of chondrocyte-specific protein, COL2A1, SOX9, and aggrecan during 24 h of clinically applicable conditions.
Conclusion: The hNC-PCL complex may be a valuable therapeutic agent for implantation into injured cartilage tissue, and can be used clinically to repair cartilaginous skeletal defects. From a clinical perspective, it is important to set the short duration of the implantation process to achieve effective functional implantation. © The Korean Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Society 2019.