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Decellularization of Articular Cartilage: A Hydrochloric Acid–Based Strategy

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Cartilage Tissue Engineering

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 2598))

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Abstract

Removing cellular material from a tissue, a process called decellularization, reduces the risk of adverse host reactions, allows for efficient decontamination, and extends the shelf-life of the matrix. It facilitates the use of cartilage tissue as human-derived allograft, thus providing the field of cartilage regeneration with a biomaterial unmatched in its similarity to native cartilage in terms of structure, composition, and mechanical properties.

The dense extracellular matrix of articular cartilage requires a particularly thorough process to achieve the removal of cells, cell debris, and reagents used in the process. In our studies (Nürnberger et al., EBioMedicine 64:103196, 2021; Schneider et al., Tissue Eng Part C Methods 22(12):1095–1107, 2016), we have successfully developed a protocol for achieving decellularization via physical, chemical, and enzymatic steps. Combining freeze-thaw cycles for devitalization, hydrochloric acid as decellularization agent and the enzymatic removal of glycosaminoglycans, results in an acellular scaffold that is fully biocompatible and promotes cellular attachment. The structure and sophisticated architecture of collagen type II is left intact.

This chapter provides a comprehensive guide to the steps and reagents needed to decellularize articular cartilage. In addition to the standard decell-deGAG protocol, a fast option is given which is suitable for thin specimen. Histological evaluation is presented to illustrate treatment success.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by funding from the Austrian Research Promotion Agency FFG (project CartiScaff, #842455), as well as the Lorenz Böhler Fonds (16/13). The authors wish to thank all cooperation partners who were involved in those projects and coauthors of the publication Schneider and coworkers [34].

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Traumatology, The Research Center in Cooperation with AUVA, Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration, Vienna, Austria

    Cornelia Schneider & Sylvia Nürnberger

  2. Medical University of Vienna, Department of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, Division of Trauma Surgery, Vienna, Austria

    Sylvia Nürnberger

Authors
  1. Cornelia Schneider
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  2. Sylvia Nürnberger
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Correspondence to Sylvia Nürnberger .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. AO Research Institute Davos, Davos Platz, Switzerland

    Martin J. Stoddart

  2. AO Research Institute Davos, Davos Platz, Switzerland

    Elena Della Bella

  3. UCB Pharma, Slough, UK

    Angela R. Armiento

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© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

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Schneider, C., Nürnberger, S. (2023). Decellularization of Articular Cartilage: A Hydrochloric Acid–Based Strategy. In: Stoddart, M.J., Della Bella, E., Armiento, A.R. (eds) Cartilage Tissue Engineering. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2598. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2839-3_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2839-3_21

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-0716-2838-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-0716-2839-3

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