Abstract
Background Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) possess great promise as a therapeutic to repair damaged cartilage. Direct intra-articular injection of mesenchymal stem cells has been shown to reduce cartilage damage and is advantageous as surgical implantation and associated side effects can be avoided using this approach. However, the efficacy of stem cell-based therapy for cartilage repair depends highly on the direct interactions of these stem cells with chondrocytes in the joint. In this study, we have carried out an in vitro cell-to-cell contact coculture study with human articular chondrocytes (hACs) and hUC-MSCs, with the goal of this study being to evaluate interactions between hACs and hUC-MSCs. Methods Low-density monolayer cultures of hUC-MSCs and hACs were mixed at a ratio of 1 : 1 in direct cell-to-cell contact groups. Results were analyzed using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), western blot, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and immunofluorescence. Results A mixed coculture of hUC-MSCs and hACs was found to exhibit synergistic interactions with enhanced differentiation of hUC-MSCs and reduced dedifferentiation of chondrocytes. Mixed cultures after 21 days were found to exhibit sufficient chondrogenic induction. Conclusions The results from this study suggest the presence of mutual effects between hUC-MSCs and hACs even culture at low density and provide further support for the use of intra-articular injection strategies for cartilage defect treatment.
Highlights
Repair of cartilage defects poses a large orthopedic challenge mainly due to the factor that the tissue has a limited intrinsic self-repair capacity. e trauma of articular cartilage is associated with articular surface defects, acute inflammation, and oxidative stress, while aging is accompanied by matrix degradation, chondrocyte apoptosis, and chronic inflammation
Following isolation of mesenchymal cells according to the adherence criteria, the third passage of human umbilical cord (hUC)-mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) was analyzed in order to confirm their identity
These cells were found to have acquired fibroblastic morphology that is characteristic of MSCs. ese results confirmed the existence of MSCs in hUC. e proportion of stem cells was found to meet the identification criteria [26]
Summary
Repair of cartilage defects poses a large orthopedic challenge mainly due to the factor that the tissue has a limited intrinsic self-repair capacity. e trauma of articular cartilage is associated with articular surface defects, acute inflammation, and oxidative stress, while aging is accompanied by matrix degradation, chondrocyte apoptosis, and chronic inflammation. Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) possess great promise as a therapeutic to repair damaged cartilage. Direct intra-articular injection of mesenchymal stem cells has been shown to reduce cartilage damage and is advantageous as surgical implantation and associated side effects can be avoided using this approach. The efficacy of stem cell-based therapy for cartilage repair depends highly on the direct interactions of these stem cells with chondrocytes in the joint. Low-density monolayer cultures of hUC-MSCs and hACs were mixed at a ratio of 1 : 1 in direct cell-to-cell contact groups. E results from this study suggest the presence of mutual effects between hUC-MSCs and hACs even culture at low density and provide further support for the use of intra-articular injection strategies for cartilage defect treatment Conclusions. e results from this study suggest the presence of mutual effects between hUC-MSCs and hACs even culture at low density and provide further support for the use of intra-articular injection strategies for cartilage defect treatment
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