EFFECT OF GROWTH-FACTORS ON MATRIX SYNTHESIS BY HUMAN NASAL CHONDROCYTES CULTURED IN MONOLAYER AND IN AGAR

Reconstructive surgery of multiple areas of the body may require repla cement bone or cartilage transplants to repair defects or lesions of s keletal tissue. Advances in cell and tissue culture techniques now per mit synthesis of autologous human cartilage in vitro. Several growth f actors regulate the metabolism and activation of cartilage cells. To e nhance culture conditions and effectiveness for in vitro cartilage eng ineering, the aim of our investigations was to characterize the influe nce of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta and basic fibroblast grow th factor (bFGF) on human nasal septal chondrocytes. The isolated cell s were cultured as monolayers on plastic and in soft agar. The biologi cal effects of the growth factors were assessed by determining synthes is of total protein and proteoglycan, TGF-beta caused a dose-dependent stimulation of total protein as well as glycosaminoglycan synthesis b y all chondrocytes cultured. This stimulatory effect of TGF-beta was g reater for chondrocytes cultured in soft agar than for chondrocytes cu ltured on plastic. No stimulatory effects of matrix synthesis was obse rved for bFGF in either culture condition. Our results show that TGF-b eta can be employed to enhance in vitro production of cartilage grafts for reconstructive surgery.