Functional Viability of Chondrocytes Stored at 4 degrees C

Little is known about the survival and function of chondrocytes when stored as a suspension at different temperatures. We compared the functional viability of chondrocytes stored in suspension at room temperature to those stored at 4 degrees C in either tissue culture medium or phosphate-buffered saline. Approximately half (47%) of the cells stored in culture media at 4 degrees C maintained viability after 4 weeks, while the cells stored at 4 degrees C in phosphate-buffered saline or in either suspension at room temperature for the same time demonstrated almost no viability. Viable cells that had been stored in cold culture media demonstrated the ability to multiply at the same rate as they had prior to cold storage, when returned to an incubator at 37 degrees C. These cells also maintained their ability to form new cartilage when seeded onto polymer matrices and implanted subcutaneously in nude mice. This investigation indicates that preservation of bovine chondrocytes at 4 degrees C in an appropriate media yields viable, functional cells that can be subsequently utilized to engineer new cartilage.