title: Osteogenic potentials of osteophytes in the cervical spine compared with patient matched bone marrow stromal cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Osteophytes that form adjacent to degenerated disc have osteogeic potential. Studies suggest that their formation is associated with mesenchymal precursors arising from the chondrosynovial junction. This study is aimed to determine the cellular aging and osteogenic differentiation potential of osteophyte-derived mesenchymal cells (oMSCs) when compared to patient-matched bone marrow stromal cells (bMSCs).
  
  
  METHODS
  oMSCs and bMSCs were isolated from tissue samples during anterior cervical discectomy and fusion surgery. Extensive expansion of cell cultures was performed and early and late passage cells (P4 and P9, respectively) were used to study cell senescence and telomerase activity. Furthermore, osteogenic differentiation was applied to detect their osteogenic capacity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proliferation capacity of oMSCs in culture was superior to that of bMSCs and these cells readily underwent osteogenic differentiation. Our results showed that oMSCs had higher telomerase activity in late passages compared with bMSCs, although there was no significant difference in the telomerase activity in the early passages in either cell types. The telomerase activity was detectable only in early passage oMSCs and not in bMSCs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that oMSCs retain a level of telomerase activity in vitro, which may account for the relatively greater longevity of these cells, compared to bMSCs. Furthermore, when compared to bMSCs, oMSCs maintained a higher proliferative capacity and the same osteogenic capacity, which may offer new insights of tissue formation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, 1, Youyi Road, Yuanjiagang Yuzhong District, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Pei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, 1, Youyi Road, Yuanjiagang Yuzhong District, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Weidong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, 1, Youyi Road, Yuanjiagang Yuzhong District, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Dianming
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan - 430030, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan - 430030, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, 1, Youyi Road, Yuanjiagang Yuzhong District, Chongqing, China ; Department of Orthopaedics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan - 430030, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Luo
keywords: Cervical spine; mesenchymal stromal cells; osteogenesis; osteophyte; telomerase activity