OBJECTIVE: To discuss the feasibility of culture of vertebral endplate chondrocytes from type I neurofibromatosis associated with scoliosis patients in vitro and to study the biological characters of the chondrocytes.

METHODS: Through two-step enzymatic digestion and tissue culture, the chondrocytes from the vertebral endplate of seven type I neurofibromatosis patients isolated and cultured in monolayer and passaged to observe the changes of cell morphology under inverted phase contrast microscope. Collagen type II expression was detected by immunocytochemistry to identify whether the cells had chondrocyte characters. The growth kinetics was detected by using MTT colorimetric assay to draw the growth curve of passage 2 chondrocytes.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: A few chondrocytes crawled from the cartilage after 2 weeks culture and cells were passaged at 3 weeks. Along with passage going on, the phenotype of chondrocytes was changed from polygonal, round, triangle, and irregular shapes to fusiform. The collagen type II expression in passage 2 cells was positive by immunohistochemical staining. MTT test showed the growth curve of the passage 2 chondrocytes presented a transverse “S”. Cells were found logarithmic growth at days 4-7, reached platform stage at days 8-13, and decreased at day 14. It is an effective and simple procedure by two-step enzymatic digestion and tissue explant method to culture vertebral endplate chondrocytes with high purity and good viability from type I neurofibromatosis patients associated with scoliosis in vitro. Passage 2 chondrocytes from the vertebral endplate exhibit the best viability at days 4-7, which can be used as targets for research of pathogenesis of type I neurofibromatosis with atrophic scoliosis.