Generation of an In Vitro Cartilage Aging Model Using Human Sera from Old Donors

Cartilage degradation is a key feature of osteoarthritis (OA), a joint disease that significantly impacts the quality of life of the elderly population. While advanced age is recognized as one of the major risk factors for OA, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Research involving cartilage from aged animals has improved our understanding of the changes associated with aging. However, studies with aged animals can be time-consuming and costly. In this study, we investigate the use of human sera from older donors as a stressor to induce aging-like changes in cultured human chondrocytes. First, we assess the expression levels of markers related to chondrogenesis, hypertrophy, fibrosis, and inflammation in human chondrocytes treated with sera from younger or older human donors. Next, we evaluate the regenerative potential of these sera-treated chondrocytes by stimulating them with the anabolic factor transforming growth factor (TGF)-β3. The results show that treatment with sera from older donors induced an aging-like phenotype in chondrocytes and impaired their ability to generate new cartilage. These findings provide insight into the role of systemic factors (serum) in cartilage aging and offer a novel in vitro model for studying age-related changes in chondrocytes.