Regenerative effects of transplanting autologous mesenchymal stem cells on corticosteroid-induced osteonecrosis in rabbits.
Osteonecrosis (ON) of the femoral head is one of the most serious complications associated with steroid administration. Here, we treated corticosteroid-induced ON in the rabbit by transplanting mesenchymal cells (MCs). Rabbits were injected once with 20 mg/kg of methylprednisolone (MPSL) and divided into three groups as follows: (1) MPSL alone (no further treatment); (2) MPSL+MCs (7 days after MPSL, MCs [1 x 10(7)/2 ml] were injected into the bone marrow cavity of the femurs); (3) MPSL+saline (7 days after MPSL, saline [2 ml] was injected into the bone marrow cavity of the femurs). Subsequently, the incidence of ON in the femurs 4 weeks after MPSL alone and MPSL+saline was 80 and 68.4%, respectively. In contrast, no ON was recorded in rabbits treated with MPSL+MCs. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP) nick end-labeling (TUNEL) staining was more marked in the MPSL alone and MPSL+saline groups than in the MPSL+MCs rabbits. The percentages of cells in the G1 phase in the MPSL+MCs group were significantly lower than in the other two groups. These findings suggest that the injection of autologous MCs into the femur could prevent corticosteroid-induced ON in patients treated with high-dose short-term steroid medication.
Matsuya
Hiroyuki
H
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kansai Medical University, Moriguchi, Osaka, Japan.
Kushida
Taketoshi
T
Asada
Taku
T
Umeda
Masayuki
M
Wada
Takahiko
T
Iida
Hirokazu
H
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005269:Femur; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000009:adverse effects*; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D007267:Injections; D008297:Male; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010020:Osteonecrosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011817:Rabbits; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism
D005938:Glucocorticoids; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D008775:Methylprednisolone