Basic fibroblast growth factor and insulinlike growth factor I support thegrowth of human septal chondrocytes in a serum-free environment

Objective: To determine if insulinlike growth factor I (IGF-I) and basic fi broblast growth factor (bFGF), individually or in combination, support the growth and viability of human septal chondrocytes in a serum-free medium (S FM) and a serum-enhanced culture medium. Design: Chondrocytes were recovered from enzymatically digested human septa l cartilage and were plated for monolayer culture in a newly developed medi um. The medium included Dulbecco modified Eagle medium mixed 1:1 with Ham F 12 medium and a supplement of known amounts of 2 growth factors-bFGF (100 n g/mL) and IGF-I (100 ng/mL)-used in combination and separately. Results: The combination of IGF-I and bFGF enhanced chondrocyte growth and maintained a high degree of viability in SFM and 10% fetal calf serum. Afte r an initial lag, the SFM, augmented with both growth factors, produced a c omparable number of viable cells (4.25 +/- 0.31 x 10(4)) to that of the med ium with 10% fetal calf serum (4.64 +/- 0.35 x 10(4)):by the seventh day of the experiment. Combined with the 2 growth factors, 10% fetal calf serum p rovided the greatest proliferation by the end of the experiment. However, t he overall mean cell counts for the IGF-I- and bFGF-enhanced SFM were not s tatistically different. Conclusions: The combination of IGF-I and bFGF in a serum-free and a serum- supplemented environment supports the growth and viability of human septal chondrocytes in short-term culture. In an SFM, the results obtained approxi mate those produced in a medium enhanced with 10% fetal calf serum.