Abstract
Objective To investigate the effect of injectable hydrogel combined with nucleus pulposus-derived mesenchymal stem cell (NPMSC) transplantation on the degenerative intervertebral disc in rats. Methods NPMSC was isolated from the caudal spinal nucleus pulposus of Sprague-Dawley rats and identification of mesenchymal stem cells was determined. After 2 weeks of intervertebral disc degeneration model was established by annulus fibrosus puncture, the groups were divided: control group (untreated), treatment group (injection of hydrogel loaded NPMSC into the intervertebral disc), phosphate buffer solution (PBS) group (injection of the same amount of PBS), hydrogel group (injection of the same amount of hydrogel), cell group (injection of the same amount of NPMSC suspension). At 4 and 8 weeks after intervention, relative disc height index (DHI%) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) index were detected. At 8 weeks after intervention, histological score, the expression of collagen type Ⅱ and aggrecan was detected by immunofluorescence and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. One-way ANOVA was used for comparison between groups, and LSD-t test was used for pairwise comparison. Results At 8 weeks after intervention, for the DHI% and MRI index, the experiment group [(87.80±3.40)%, 3 313.84±227.80] was higher than cell group [(79.65±2.33)%, 3 006.83±147.92] (t=3.411, 3.127, P<0.05); cell group was higher than hydrogel group [(69.49±4.79)%, 1 288.00±202.09] (t=4.252, 17.504, P<0.05); for histological score, the cell group (9.00±1.29) was higher than experiment group (7.16±0.68) (t=3.550, P<0.05), the hydrogel group (12.50±0.95) was higher than cell group (t=6, 753, P<0.05); for the protein express of collagen type Ⅱ and aggrecan, the cell group (0.30±0.02, 0.58±0.03) was less than experiment group (0.38±0.03, 0.69±0.05) (t=-4.000, -3, 267, P<0.05), the hydrogel group (0.14±0.03, 0.14±0.04) was less than cell group (t=-8.000, -13.307, P<0.05). Conclusion Injectable hydrogel combined with NPMSC transplantation can delay the level of disc degeneration in animal model and promote the repair and regeneration of degenerative disc. Key words: Hydrogel; Nucleus pulposus-derived mesenchymal stem cell; Intervertebral disc degeneration; Cell transplantation
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
