Hyaluronic Acid In Vitro Response: Viability and Proliferation Profile of Human Chondrocytes in 3D-Based Culture

Abstract

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of hyaluronic acid in the viability and proliferation profile of human femoral-tibial joint cartilage affected by osteoarthritis using in vitro models of chondrocytes in a 2-dimensional (2D)- and 3-dimensional (3D)-based culture model by spheroids. Design In vitro study of knee cartilage affected by osteoarthritis that required surgical treatment. Samples were cultured and exposed to hyaluronic acid (100 and 500 μM; intervention group) or vehicle solution. In monolayer or 2D culture, proliferation and cell viability were measured, and nuclear morphometry was analyzed by 4′,6′-diamino-2-fenil-indol (DAPI) staining. The 3D-based culture established from the culture of articular cartilage of patients submitted to total knee arthroplasty evaluated the diameter, viability, and fusion ability of the chondrospheres created. Results Samples from 3 patients resulted in viable cultures, with chondrocyte cells exhibiting a potential for cell proliferation and viability to establish a culture. Hyaluronic acid (100 and 500 μM) improved chondrocyte viability and proliferation up to 72 hours in contact when compared with the control group, and no nuclear irregularities in morphology cell characteristics were observed by DAPI. In the 3D evaluation, hyaluronic acid (500 μM) improved the cellular feedback mechanisms, increasing the survival and maintenance of the chondrospheres after 7 days of analysis, showing the intrinsic capacity of chondrospheres grouped in the attempt to rearrange and reestablish new articular tissue. Conclusions The 2D- and 3D-based culture models with hyaluronic acid improved chondrocyte viability and proliferation and demonstrated the ability of freshly formed chondrospheres to undergo fusion when placed together in the presence of hyaluronic acid.