Rat Model of Intra-articular Chondrocyte Xenotransplantation

Current treatment options are not providing an adequate solution for cartilage defects. Articular cartilage lesions in particular are not able to repair spontaneously and progressively degenerate with an arthrosic pattern. Aiming to solve this pressing medical need, xenotransplantation of porcine chondrocytes could be developed as a new therapeutic approach. Xenotransplantation is gaining much attention, thanks to the advances in animal genetic engineering and progress in the characterization of the rejection mechanisms that prevent long-term graft survival. In this regard, our team has identified various targets for intervention that should be tested in a meaningful animal model to prove their relevance in rejection of xenogeneic cartilage. To this end, we have recently established a discordant xenotransplantation model by injecting three million porcine articular chondrocytes (PAC) into the femorotibial joint of Lewis rats. This chapter describes this new model, which can be used to assess the immunoregulatory effect of a variety of strategies designed to inhibit rejection of xenogeneic PAC both at the humoral and cellular levels.