title: Viability of allogeneic bone marrow stromal cells following local delivery into patella tendon in rabbit model.
abstract: Bone marrow stromal cells are potentially useful for tendon repair and regeneration. To provide lasting benefits, the seeded cells must survive implantation at local tendon sites. Our objective was to determine the in vivo fate of allogeneic bone marrow stromal cells (bMSCs) at different time points after implantation into patella tendon defects (i.e., at 2, 3, 5, and 8 weeks). The protocol involved the labeling of bMSCs with green fluorescent protein (GFP) or carboxyfluorescein diacetate (CFDA) before implantation. A window defect (5 x 5 mm) was created at the central portion of rabbit patella tendon and subsequently treated with GFP- or CFDA-marked bMSCs. The marked bMSCs were loaded into the window defect with fibrin glue. Upon sacrifice of the rabbits at the different time points, the implant site of the patellar tendon was immediately retrieved and the viability of the labeled cells was assessed under confocal microscopy. The results showed that the seeded bMSCs remained viable within the tendon wound site for at least 8 weeks after implantation. The cell morphology was changed from a round shape at 2 weeks to a spindle shape at 5 weeks after implantation. This study demonstrated that the bMSCs remained viable for prolonged periods after implantation and therefore have the potential to influence the formation and remodeling of neotendon tissue after tendon repair.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119260.
authors.forename: Hong Wei
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Ouyang
authors.forename: James C H
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Goh
authors.forename: Eng Hin
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D017667:Adipocytes / Q000166:cytology; D000818:Animals; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D002470:Cell Survival; D005260:Female; D005452:Fluoresceins / Q000737:chemistry; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D023421:Models, Animal; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000166:cytology; D017847:Patellar Ligament / Q000166:cytology* / Q000293:injuries / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011817:Rabbits; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000637:transplantation*; D013708:Tendon Injuries / Q000628:therapy*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
chemical_list: D005452:Fluoresceins; C084577:5-carboxyfluorescein diacetate