Intra-articular injection of mesenchymal stromal cell encapsulated in micro-molded alginate particles for the treatment of post-traumatic osteoarthritis: preliminary study in rabbit knee

Abstract

Purpose: Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs) are clinically used for their anti-inflammatory and immuno-modulatory properties and are considered an attractive tool for the intra-articular (IA) treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). Considering the risk of cell leakage and death after IA injection, MSCs encapsulation in cytoprotective hydrogel appears as a promising solution to overcome these limitations and to provide MSC with a suitable 3D microenvironment supporting their biological activity. In this context, the aims of this work were (i) to generate alginate-based microparticles compatible with IA injection, using a micro-molding technique, (ii) to assess the in vitro viability and bioactivity of human MSCs encapsulated in alginate microparticles, and (iii) to evaluate the anti-OA efficacy of microencapsulated human MSCs in a post-traumatic OA rabbit model.