title: Intra-articular injection of synovial mesenchymal stem cells improves cartilage repair in a mouse injury model.
abstract: Controversy remains whether articular cartilage has an endogenous stem/progenitor cell population, since its poor healing capacity after injury can lead to diseases such as osteoarthritis. In the joint environment there are mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells (MSCs) in the synovial membrane and synovial fluid that can differentiate into cartilage, but it is still under debate if these cells contribute to cartilage repair in vivo. In this study, we isolated a Sca-1 positive, chondrogenesis capable population of mouse synovial MSCs from C57BL6 and MRL/MpJ "super-healer" strains. Intra-articular injection of Sca-1 + GFP + synovial cells from C57BL6 or MRL/MpJ into C57BL6 mice following cartilage injury led to increased cartilage repair by 4 weeks after injury. GFP expression was detected in the injury site at 2 weeks, but not 4 weeks after injury. These results suggest that synovial stem/progenitor cells, regardless of strain background, have beneficial effects when injected into an injured joint. MSCs derived from MRL/MpJ mice did not promote an increased repair capacity compared to MSCs derived from non-healing C57BL6 controls; however, MRL/MpJ MSCs were observed within the defect area at the time points examined, while C57BL6 MSCs were not.
authors.affiliation: McCaig Institute for Bone &Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mak
authors.affiliation: McCaig Institute for Bone &Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Jablonski
authors.affiliation: McCaig Institute for Bone &Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.|University of Calgary, Department of Surgery, Calgary, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Leonard
authors.affiliation: McCaig Institute for Bone &Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.|University of Calgary, Department of Radiology, Calgary, AB, Canada.|Experimental Imaging Centre, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Dunn
authors.affiliation: University of Calgary, Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, Calgary, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Raharjo
authors.affiliation: McCaig Institute for Bone &Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.|University of Calgary, Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, Calgary, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Matyas
authors.affiliation: University of Calgary, Department of Surgery, Calgary, AB, Canada.|University of Calgary, Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, Calgary, AB, Canada.|Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Biernaskie
authors.affiliation: McCaig Institute for Bone &Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.|University of Calgary, Department of Surgery, Calgary, AB, Canada.|University of Calgary, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Calgary, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Krawetz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000067696:Ataxin-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D020219:Chondrogenesis; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007270:Injections, Intra-Articular; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D000067696:Ataxin-1; C000593751:Atxn1 protein, rat; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins