Comparing telomere lengths in chondrocytes from intact cartilage and those isolated from loose bodies

Given the intrinsic connection between telomeres, cell replication, and aging, telomere length serves as a valuable biomarker for evaluating cell quality and viability. Studying telomeres can offer vital insights into the suitability of cells within articular loose bodies for autologous chondrocyte implantation in treating chondral lesions. The aim of this study was to assess cell quality by analyzing telomere profiles in isolated cells from loose bodies.

Chondrocytes from loose bodies and intact cartilage from 3 patients with osteochondritis dissecans who underwent a High Density-Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (HD-ACI), were isolated and cultured. Telomere length was determined by High-Throughput Quantitative Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (HT-Q-FISH). Percentile of telomere length, percentages of telomere length values (QuantiTel), percentages of cells with specific telomere values (QuantiCell) were estimated in each sample.

Percentile and QuantiTel showed lower telomere lengths in chondrocytes from loose bodies than in those from intact cartilage. QuantiCell demonstrated that the percentage of cells with shorter telomeres was higher in cells from loose bodies than in intact cartilage. Median telomere length was statistically higher in chondrocytes from intact biopsies than in loose bodies.

Chondrocytes isolated from loose bodies exhibits a telomere distribution shorter than those from intact cartilage.