Tracking and Therapeutic Effects of a Single Dose Wharton’s Jelly-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Intra-Articular Injection in a Guinea Pig Osteoarthritis Model Over 56 Days of Follow-up: A Pilot Study
WJ-MSCs Injection For Osteoarthritic Knee in Guinea Pigs
Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major global health burden, affecting over 600 million people worldwide as of 2021, with numbers projected to rise significantly in the coming decades. Mesenchymal stem cell therapy is currently being investigated as a treatment option for knee OA. This study aimed to evaluate the persistence and therapeutic effects of human Wharton’s Jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) following a single intra-articular injection (1.7 × 107 WJ-MSC cells/kg) in a guinea pig OA model, using six animals in the WJ-MSC treatment group and four animals in the control group. The primary endpoints are cartilage thickness, Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) cartilage degeneration scores measurements and persistence of WJ-MSCs. In this experiment, PKH26-labeled WJ-MSCs were injected into the right knee and tracked on days 0, 7, 14, 28 and 56. Knees were harvested on day 56 for macroscopic assessments, OARSI cartilage scoring, and histology using haematoxylin and eosin, and Safranin O staining. As a result, the WJ-MSCs remained persistent for up to 56 days. WJ-MSC-treated joints showed reduced OA severity, with increased cartilage thickness of 108% at the medial femur condyle (p = 0.002*), 36% at the lateral femoral condyle, 47% at the medial tibia plateau (p = 0.02*) and 45% at the lateral tibia plateau compared with controls. No signs of malignancy were observed. Overall, a single dose injection of WJ-MSC provided a proof-of-concept to conduct further research in the future.
Keywords :
Cartilage thickness; guinea pig; intra-articular injection; knee osteoarthritis; WJ-MSCs,
Abstrak
Osteoartritis (OA) merupakan beban kesihatan global yang utama, menjejaskan lebih daripada 600 juta orang di seluruh dunia pada tahun 2021 dan jumlah ini dijangka terus meningkat dalam beberapa dekad akan datang. Terapi sel stem mesenkimal kini sedang dikaji sebagai pilihan rawatan untuk OA lutut. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk menilai keberlangsungan dan kesan terapeutik sel stem mesenkimal yang diperoleh daripada jeli Wharton manusia (WJ-MSC) selepas satu suntikan intra-artikular (1.7 × 107 sel/kg) dalam model OA 'guinea pig', menggunakan enam ekor haiwan dalam kumpulan rawatan WJ-MSC dan empat dalam kumpulan kawalan. Hasil utama kajian ialah ketebalan rawan, skor degenerasi rawan mengikut 'Osteoarthritis Research Society International' (OARSI), serta keberlangsungan WJ-MSC. Dalam kajian ini, WJ-MSC berlabel PKH26 disuntik ke dalam lutut kanan dan dijejaki pada hari 0, 7, 14, 28 dan 56. Lutut haiwan dikumpulkan pada hari ke-56 untuk penilaian makroskopik, skor OARSI serta analisis histologi menggunakan pewarnaan Hematoxylin & Eosin dan Safranin O. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahwa WJ-MSC kekal hidup sehingga 56 hari. Sendi yang dirawat menunjukkan pengurangan keterukan OA, dengan peningkatan ketebalan rawan sebanyak 108% pada kondil femur medial (p = 0.002*), 36% pada kondil femur lateral, 47% pada plat tibia medial (p = 0.02*) dan 45% pada plat tibia lateral berbanding kawalan. Tiada tanda-tanda keganasan diperhatikan. Secara keseluruhan, suntikan dos tunggal WJ-MSC memberikan bukti konsep yang menyokong pelaksanaan kajian lebih mendalam pada masa hadapan.
Kata Kunci :
Guinea pig; osteoartritis lutut; WJ-MSC,
Correspondance Address
*Correspondence: badortho@gmail.com
