Articular cartilage preservation and storage

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Abstract
Articular cartilage slice explants were stored under various conditions, including freezing-thawing at various rates by using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a cryoprotective agent, incubating in standard tissue culture medium (MEM Eagle:NCTC 135:15% fetal calf serum) in 5% CO2 and air at 4°, 21°, and 37°C, and incubating in standard tissue culture medium containing 200 μg/ml α-tocopherol (vitamin E) at 37°C after first ascertaining a dose-response curve of vitamin E. Results indicated that articular cartilage slice explants did not survive freezing or storage at 4° and 21°C as measured by 35S uptake. When stored at 37°C in standard tissue culture in 5% CO2 and air, the slice explants remained viable for up to 60 days. The addition of α-tocopherol to the medium resulted in significantly less release of previously incorporated 35S in stored cartilage slices and significantly less reduction of the amount of hexosamine present in the stored explants. α-Tocopherol in the medium also preserved safranin O staining. Thus, the application of tissue culture techniques to the storage of articular cartilage made it possible to preserve cartilage slice explants in a viable, biochemically “normal” state.