Osteochondral transplantation is a possible option for these younger, more active patients but access to fresh

tissue is extremely difficult. Fresh osteochondral transplants provide Selleck LGK-974 the best case scenario for cell viability and matrix integrity but fresh transplant is fraught with technical difficulties. This tissue should be harvested within 24 h of death of the donor and is typically transplanted within 48–72 h after harvest [37]. This time frame is too short to perform the extensive testing required to rule out the possibility of transmission of infectious diseases. Considering that joint injury and osteoarthritis are not life threatening, the risk may not be warranted. Another significant technical difficulty is that matching for size and contour, which are important factors for long term successful outcomes, is extremely difficult on such short notice [19]. Making arrangements for complicated joint replacement surgery on short notice can result in logistic problems in arranging the operating room, appropriate surgical staff, surgeon and even the patient. Currently, blood/HLA typing is not performed as articular cartilage is considered immune privileged. That said, the cartilage is transplanted on bone and there can be minor immune reaction to the transplanted

bone. This is typically self-limited as the transplant bone is replaced with host bone if only a small amount is transplanted. In the future, blood/HLA typing may be employed to limit the immune reaction which adds another layer of complexity to performing this surgery on short notice. To address these issues, hypothermic storage at 4 °C for GSK126 cell line a limited time (28–42 days) is used to increase Meloxicam the supply [41] and [110]. Unfortunately, tissue deterioration begins after only 7–14 days [65]. The lack of normal mechanical stimulation impairs the efficiency of nutrient and waste transport, and decreases cytokine secretion (IL-1 and TNF-α) as reviewed by Kim, Teng and Dang [58].

The ability to store articular cartilage indefinitely would allow for precise size/contour matching, pre-surgical planning, testing for infectious diseases, possible blood typing and appropriate surgical timing for the patient, operating staff and surgeon. Successful cryopreservation of articular cartilage, by either classical methods or vitrification, can extend the availability of the tissue and allow long-term banking of articular cartilage. Successful cryopreservation and banking of articular cartilage will enable easier and more efficient utilization of straightforward protocols for transplantation. From a cryopreservation perspective, articular cartilage with its extracellular matrix containing no lymphatic, nervous or vascular systems and only one cell type is considered to be a stepping stone for the transition from simple cell to complex tissue cryopreservation with high cell viability and function.