Department for Orthopaedic, Trauma and Reconstructive Surgery, Charité-University of Medicine, Berlin 14195, Germany.
Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2013 Nov 1;238(11):1210-22. doi: 10.1177/1535370213502630. Epub 2013 Sep 24.
Minipigs are widely used as a large animal model for cartilage repair. However, many in vitro studies are based on porcine chondrocytes derived from abundantly available premature hybrid pigs. It remains unclear whether pig line-dependent differences exist which could limit the comparability between in vitro and in vivo results using either hybrid or miniature pig articular chondrocytes. Porcine knee joint femoral cartilage was isolated from 3- to 5-month-old hybrid pigs and Göttingen minipigs. Cartilage from both pig lines was analysed for thickness, zonality, cell content, size and proteoglycan deposition. Cultured articular chondrocytes from both pig lines were investigated for gene and/or protein expression of cartilage-specific proteins such as type II collagen, aggrecan, the chondrogenic transcription factor Sox9, non-specific type I collagen and the cell-matrix receptor β1-integrin. Cartilage was significantly thinner in the miniature pig compared to the hybrid pig, but the differences between the medial and lateral femur condyles did not reach a significant level. Knee joint cartilage zone formation started only in the minipig, whereas cellularity and cell diameters were comparable in both pig lines. Blood vessels could be detected in the hybrid pig but not the minipig cartilage. Sulphated proteoglycan deposition was more pronounced in cartilage zones II-IV of both pig lines. Minipig chondrocytes expressed type II and I collagen, Sox9 and β1-integrin at a higher level than hybrid pig chondrocytes. These distinct line-dependent differences should be considered when using hybrid pig-derived chondrocytes for tissue engineering and Göttingen minipigs as a large animal model.
小型猪被广泛用作软骨修复的大动物模型。然而，许多体外研究基于丰富的早期杂交猪来源的猪软骨细胞。使用杂交猪或小型猪关节软骨细胞进行体外和体内研究结果的可比性是否存在猪系依赖性差异尚不清楚。从 3 至 5 月龄杂交猪和哥廷根小型猪的膝关节股骨软骨中分离软骨。分析两种猪系的软骨厚度、分区、细胞含量、大小和蛋白聚糖沉积。研究了两种猪系关节软骨细胞的软骨特异性蛋白（如 II 型胶原、聚集蛋白聚糖、软骨形成转录因子 Sox9、非特异性 I 型胶原和细胞基质受体β1-整合素）的基因和/或蛋白表达。与杂交猪相比，小型猪的软骨明显更薄，但股骨内外侧髁之间的差异没有达到显著水平。小型猪的膝关节软骨开始形成分区，而两种猪系的细胞密度和细胞直径相当。在杂交猪软骨中可以检测到血管，但在小型猪软骨中则不能。两种猪系的软骨区 II-IV 中硫酸蛋白聚糖沉积更为明显。小型猪软骨细胞表达 II 型和 I 型胶原、Sox9 和β1-整合素的水平高于杂交猪软骨细胞。在使用杂交猪来源的软骨细胞进行组织工程和将哥廷根小型猪作为大动物模型时，应考虑这些明显的猪系依赖性差异。
