SOURCE OF CELLS FOR BIOLOGICAL REPAIR OF THE INTERVERTEBRAL DISC

Introduction: Degeneration of the intervertebral disc is characterised by loss of normal cell activity, disc matrix and loss of disc height. There is currently much interest in using cells to effect a biological repair in connective tissues, eg autologous chondrocyte implantation for cartilage repair. Intervertebral discs have a low cell density, with those cells present often being unhealthy and necrotic. Hence, identification of an alternative source of cells for autologous disc repair could be beneficial. Thus we have investigated other types of connective tissue cells to determine if they may be encouraged to undertake a disc cell phenotype.Materials and Methods: Cells were enzymatically/mechanically extracted from bovine coccygeal discs (annulus and nucleus), skin, bone marrow, periosteum and tendon and the efficiency and proliferation rates assessed. Dermal fibroblasts and bone marrow cells were also grown in a 3D alginate system and compared to disc nucleus pulposus cells for phenotypic expression ...