properties and usefulness of aggregates of synovial mesenchymal stem cells as a source for cartilage regeneration骨料的性质和用途的滑膜间充质干细胞作为软骨再生的一个来源.pdfVIP

Suzuki et al. Arthritis Research Therapy 2012, 14:R136 /content/14/3/R136 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Properties and usefulness of aggregates of synovial mesenchymal stem cells as a source for cartilage regeneration 1 1,2 2 3 4 4 Shiro Suzuki , Takeshi Muneta , Kunikazu Tsuji , Shizuko Ichinose , Hatsune Makino , Akihiro Umezawa and Ichiro Sekiya5* Abstract Introduction: Transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from synovium is a promising therapy for cartilage regeneration. For clinical application, improvement of handling operation, enhancement of chondrogenic potential, and increase of MSCs adhesion efficiency are needed to achieve a more successful cartilage regeneration with a limited number of MSCs without scaffold. The use of aggregated MSCs may be one of the solutions. Here, we investigated the handling, properties and effectiveness of aggregated MSCs for cartilage regeneration. Methods: Human and rabbit synovial MSCs were aggregated using the hanging drop technique. The gene expression changes after aggregation of synovial MSCs were analyzed by microarray and real time RT-PCR analyses. In vitro and in vivo chondrogenic potential of aggregates of synovial MSCs was examined. Results: Aggregates of MSCs cultured for three days became visible, approximately 1 mm in diameter and solid and durable by manipulation; most of the cells were viable. Microarray analysis revealed up-regulation of chondrogenesis-related, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic genes in aggregates of MSCs. In vitro studies showed higher amounts of cartilage matrix synthesis in pellets derived from aggregates of MSCs compared to pellets derived from MSCs cultured in a monolayer. In