Harvesting Articular Cartilage From Joints of an Equine Donor: A Surgical Procedure to Isolate Vascular Connective Tissue From Cadaveric Joints of an Equine Donor

The articular cartilage - a highly specialized avascular connective tissue covering the end of opposing bones in certain joints, facilitates load distribution to underlying subchondral bone. It is surrounded by synovial fluid, lubricating the surface for smooth joint movement.

To harvest the articular cartilage, begin with an intact equine cadaveric joint on a sterile platform. Remove the skin and any excess fat tissue surrounding the joint area of interest. Perform angular movements of the joint to identify the joint location.

Make horizontal and vertical incisions around the joint region. Remove the muscles and tendons - connective tissue that attaches muscles to bone - to reveal the joint cavity filled with synovial fluid. Incise through the connective tissue that holds the joint together to completely expose the joint. Visually inspect the articular cartilage for its glossy and smooth appearance, ensuring there's no damage.

Gently excise the articular cartilage from the subchondral bone, moistening the cartilage with a suitable buffer to prevent tissue drying. Wash the cartilage slices with antibiotic-containing buffer to eliminate microbial contamination.

Snap freeze the rinsed articular cartilage in liquid nitrogen-cooled isopentane to freeze it to ultra-low temperatures to preserve the integrity of tissue constituents. Freeze-dry the cartilage to remove water from the tissue. Store the freeze-dried cartilage slices at room temperature until use.