Investigating the physiological relevance of ex vivo disc organ culture nutrient microenvironments using in silico modeling and experimental validation

BACKGROUND: Ex vivo disc organ culture systems have become a valuable tool for the development and pre‐clinical testing of potential intervertebral disc (IVD) regeneration strategies. Bovine caudal discs have been widely selected due to their large availability and comparability to human IVDs in terms of size and biochemical composition. However, despite their extensive use, it remains to be elucidated whether their nutrient microenvironment is comparable to human degeneration. AIMS: This work aims to create the first experimentally validated in silico model which can be used to predict and characterize the metabolite concentrations within ex vivo culture systems. MATERIALS & METHODS: Finite element models of cultured discs governed by previously established coupled reaction‐diffusion equations were created using COMSOL Multiphysics. Experimental validation was performed by measuring oxygen, glucose and pH levels within discs cultured for 7 days, in a static compression bioreactor. RESULTS: The in silico model was successfully validated through good agreement between the predicted and experimentally measured concentrations. For an ex vivo organ cultured in high glucose medium (4.5 g/L or 25 mM) and normoxia, a larger bovine caudal disc (Cd1‐2 to Cd3‐4) had a central concentration of ~2.6 %O(2), ~8 mM of glucose and a pH value of 6.7, while the smallest caudal discs investigated (Cd6‐7 and Cd7‐8), had a central concentration of ~6.5 %O(2), ~12 mM of glucose and a pH value of 6.9. DISCUSSION: This work advances the knowledge of ex vivo disc culture microenvironments and highlights a critical need for optimization and standardization of culturing conditions. CONCLUSION: Ultimately, for assessment of cell‐based therapies and successful clinical translation based on nutritional demands, it is imperative that the critical metabolite values within organ cultures (minimum glucose, oxygen and pH values) are physiologically relevant and comparable to the stages of human degeneration.