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Updated: Aug 11, 2026

A 3D System for Culturing Human Articular Chondrocytes in Synovial Fluid
Published on: January 31, 2012
Quantitative analysis of chondroitin sulfate isomers in intervertebral disk chondrocyte culture using capillary
S Maeda1, T Miyabayashi, J K Yamamoto
1Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville 32610-0126, USA.
Abstract:
Chondroitin sulfate (CS) isomers, 6-sulfate (CS6) and 4-sulfate (CS4), change their ratio to each other in cartilaginous tissues with aging. In this study, a quantitative measurement method of CS6 and CS4 was developed, using capillary electrophoresis (CE). Various buffer solutions, pH, and digestion times were studied, and the use of 0.1 M Tris-HCl at pH of 8.0 allowed the isolation of CS6 and CS4 from CS most efficiently when combined with chondrotinase ABC at a concentration of 1 mU/microg of the substrate during a 3 hr digestion period. Amounts of newly synthesized CS6 and CS4 in the intervertebral disk chondrocyte three-dimensional culture were quantified by this method after the proteoglycans were extracted by equilibrium density centrifugation.

