Conditioned media from embryonic chick tendon cells promotes C2C12 cell viability in serum-free media

Given the high cost and ethical issues with fetal bovine serum (FBS), the development of serum-free media is essential. Tenocytes, specialized fibroblast cells necessary for tendon structure and signaling, may facilitate serum-free development. This study assessed the ability of embryonic chick tendon-derived cells to adapt to low-serum media and produce conditioned media. An explant isolation method was used, yielding high-purity primary tenocytes, evidenced by the detection of scleraxis through immunocytochemistry and western blotting. Sequential adaptation of tenocytes showed promising results, with positive detection of FGF2, IGF1, TGF-β, and TNF-ɑ in conditioned media from normal and adapted tenocyte cultures. Preliminary applications of conditioned media on C2C12 cell viability showed comparable viability to FBS-based culture media after 24 h. However, longer incubation revealed limitations compared to FBS owing to declining amino acid concentrations and a lack of fatty acids. The findings highlight the potential of tenocyte-derived conditioned media for serum-free media formulation.