Nutrient utilization by bovine articular chondrocytes : a combined experimental and theoretical approach

A combined experimental-numerical approach was adopted to characterize glucose andoxygen uptake and lactate production by bovine articular chondrocytes in a model system.For a wide range of cell concentrations, cells in agarose were supplemented witheither low or high glucose medium. During an initial culture phase of 48 h, oxygen wasmonitored noninvasively using a biosensor system. Glucose and lactate were determinedby medium sampling. In order to quantify glucose and oxygen uptake, a finite elementapproach was adopted to describe diffusion and uptake in the experimental model. Numericalpredictions of lactate, based on simple relations for cell metabolism, were foundto agree well for low glucose, but not for high glucose medium. Oxygen did not play arole in either case. Given the close association between chondrocyte energy metabolismand matrix synthesis, a quantifiable prediction of utilization can present a valuable contributionin the optimization of tissue engineering conditions.