title: Influence on chondrogenesis of human osteoarthritic chondrocytes in co-culture with donor-matched mesenchymal stem cells from infrapatellar fat pad and subcutaneous adipose tissue.
abstract: Co-culture of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and articular chondrocytes (ACs) has been proposed for autologous cartilage cell-based therapies, to overcome the issues associated to limited availability of articular chondrocytes (ACs). To evaluate the potentiality of a co-culture approach in aged osteoarthritic patients, MSCs from infrapatellar fat pad (IFP-MSCs) and knee subcutaneous adipose tissue (ASCs) were co-cultured with donor-matched osteoarthritic, expanded and cryopreserved, ACs in a 75%/25% ratio. Co-cultures were prepared also from nasal chondrocytes (NCs) to evaluate their possible use as an alternative to ACs. Pellets were differentiated for 14 days, using mono-cultures of each cell type as reference. Chondrogenic genes SOX9, COL2A1, ACAN were less expressed in co-cultures compared to ACs and NCs. Total GAGs content in co-cultures did not differ significantly from values predicted as the sum of each cell type contribution corrected for the co-culture ratio, as confirmed by histology. No significant differences were observed for GAGs/DNA in mono-cultures, demonstrating a reduced chondrogenic potential of ACs and NCs. In conclusion, a small percentage of expanded and cryopreserved ACs and NCs did not lead to IFP-MSCs and ASCs chondro-induction. Our results suggest that chondrogenic potential and origin of chondrocytes may play a relevant role in the outcome of co-cultures, indicating a need for further investigations to demonstrate their clinical relevance in the treatment of aged osteoarthritic patients.
authors.affiliation: Cell and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Gruppo Ospedaliero San Donato Foundation, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lopa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Colombini
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sansone
authors.forename: F W Baruffaldi
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Preis
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moretti
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000166:cytology*; D000368:Aged; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D020219:Chondrogenesis; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D015870:Gene Expression; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000473:pathology*; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; D004247:DNA