Intra-articular injection of micronized dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane attenuates osteoarthritis development.
BACKGROUND
Micronized dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane (μ-dHACM) is derived from donated human placentae and has anti-inflammatory, low immunogenic and anti-fibrotic properties. The objective of this study was to quantitatively assess the efficacy of μ-dHACM as a disease modifying intervention in a rat model of osteoarthritis (OA). It was hypothesized that intra-articular injection of μ-dHACM would attenuate OA progression.


METHODS
Lewis rats underwent medial meniscal transection (MMT) surgery to induce OA. Twenty four hours post-surgery, μ-dHACM or saline was injected intra-articularly into the rat joint. Naïve rats also received μ-dHACM injections. Microstructural changes in the tibial articular cartilage were assessed using equilibrium partitioning of an ionic contrast agent (EPIC-μCT) at 21 days post-surgery. The joint was also evaluated histologically and synovial fluid was analyzed for inflammatory markers at 3 and 21 days post-surgery.


RESULTS
There was no measured baseline effect of μ-dHACM on cartilage in naïve animals. Histological staining of treated joints showed presence of μ-dHACM in the synovium along with local hypercellularity at 3 and 21 days post-surgery. In MMT animals, development of cartilage lesions at 21 days was prevented and number of partial erosions was significantly reduced by treatment with μ-dHACM. EPIC-μCT analysis quantitatively showed that μ-dHACM reduced proteoglycan loss in MMT animals.


CONCLUSIONS
μ-dHACM is rapidly sequestered in the synovial membrane following intra-articular injection and attenuates cartilage degradation in a rat OA model. These data suggest that intra-articular delivery of μ-dHACM may have a therapeutic effect on OA development.
Nick J
NJ
Willett
Tanushree
T
Thote
Angela S P
AS
Lin
Shamus
S
Moran
Yazdan
Y
Raji
Sanjay
S
Sridaran
Hazel Y
HY
Stevens
Robert E
RE
Guldberg
D000650:Amnion; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001169:Arthritis, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D002823:Chorion; D006801:Humans; D007270:Injections, Intra-Articular; D008297:Male; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents