TRIP

Notochord cells regulate intervertebral disc chondrocyte proteoglycan production and cell proliferation.

Spine, 2006

Notochord cells regulate intervertebral disc chondrocyte proteoglycan production and cell proliferation.
STUDY DESIGN: Non-chondrodystrophic dog notochord cell conditioned medium was used to evaluate chondrocyte proteoglycan production and cell proliferation.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the responsiveness of bovine disc-derived chondrocytes to notochord-cell conditioned medium with respect to proteoglycan and cell proliferation.
In addition, to examine phenotypic changes of notochord cells cultured in monolayered as compared to 3-dimensional culture.
SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Non-chondrodystrophic dogs maintain their intervertebral disc notochord cells into adulthood and are protected from having degenerative disc disease develop.
The chondrodystrophic breeds such as beagles do not preserve these cells and have disc disease develop much earlier in life.
METHODS: Canine notochord cells were cultured within alginate beads in serum-deficient conditions using Dulbecco modified Eagle medium to produce notochord cell conditioned medium (NCCM).
NCCM was used to stimulate bovine disc chondrocytes from which we evaluated proteoglycan production and cell proliferation as compared to chondrocytes grown in DMEM alone.
In addition, parallel cultures of notochord cells were seeded within alginate beads as well as in monolayer and cultured in order to examine for differences in phenotype between the 2 culture conditions.
A dose- dependent relationship was seen between proteoglycan production and NCCM concentration across various concentrations of NCCM in repeated experiments.