The Effect of Magnesium Ion Concentration on the Fibrocartilage Regeneration Potential of Goat Costal Chondrocytes

• Published in: Annals of biomedical engineering Vol. 40; no. 3; pp. 688 - 696
• Main Authors: Hagandora, Catherine K., Tudares, Mauro A., Almarza, Alejandro J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01-03-2012; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Biochemistry; Biocompatible Materials - pharmacology; Biological and Medical Physics; Biomaterials; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering; Biomedicine; Biophysics; Cells, Cultured; Chondrocytes - drug effects; Chondrocytes - physiology; Classical Mechanics; Collagen - metabolism; Compressive Strength; Elastic Modulus; Fibrocartilage - cytology; Fibrocartilage - drug effects; Fibrocartilage - physiology; Glycosaminoglycans - metabolism; Goats; Joint Prosthesis; Magnesium - pharmacology; Magnesium sulfate; Mandibular Condyle - cytology; Mandibular Condyle - drug effects; Mandibular Condyle - physiology; Materials Testing; Models, Biological; Regeneration - drug effects; Regeneration - physiology; Stress, Mechanical; Temporomandibular Joint - cytology; Temporomandibular Joint - drug effects; Temporomandibular Joint - physiology; Tissue Engineering; Tissue Scaffolds; Temporomandibular joint; Magnesium; Fibrocartilage
• ISSN: 0090-6964; 1573-9686
• DOI: 10.1007/s10439-011-0433-z

Magnesium has recently been explored as a potential biomaterial for degradable orthopedic implants but its effect on fibrocartilage remains unknown. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of high concentrations of magnesium ions on the matrix production of goat costal fibrochondrocytes
in vitro
. Cells were cultured using a scaffoldless approach with media containing magnesium chloride (MgCl
2
) or magnesium sulfate (MgSO
4
) at concentrations of 20, 50, and 100 mM in addition to the baseline magnesium concentration of 0.8 mM MgSO
4
. At 4 weeks, there were no significant differences in compressive tangent modulus and total matrix production between constructs cultured in 20 mM Mg
2+
and the 0.8 mM Mg
2+
control (435 ± 47 kPa). There was a significant decrease in compressive tangent modulus compared to the 0.8 mM Mg
2+
constructs in the 50 mM MgCl
2
and MgSO
4
groups, while the 100 mM groups were not mechanically testable (
p
 < 0.05). The collagen and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content of the 50 and 100 mM MgCl
2
and MgSO
4
constructs was significantly lower than the control (6.9 ± 0.5% and 16.5 ± 1.3% per dry weight, respectively) (
p
 < 0.05). The results show that goat costal fibrochondrocytes exhibit a high degree of resiliency to magnesium ion concentrations up to 20 mM
in vitro
.