Author(s): Ryosuke Kuroda, Arvydas Usas, Seiji Kubo, Karin Corsi, Hairong Peng, Tim Rose, James Cummins, Freddie H. Fu, Johnny Huard
Title: Cartilage repair using bone morphogenetic protein 4 and muscle-derived stem cells
Summary: Objective: Muscle-derived stem cells (MDSCs) isolated from mouse skeletal muscle exhibit long-time proliferation, high self-renewal, and multipotent differentiation. This study was undertaken to investigate the ability of MDSCs that were retrovirally transduced to express bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP-4) to differentiate into chondrocytes in vitro and in vivo and enhance articular cartilage repair. Methods: Using monolayer and micromass pellet culture systems, we evaluated the in vitro chondrogenic differentiation of LacZ- and BMP-4-transduced MDSCs with or without transforming growth factor 1 (TGF1) stimulation. We used a nude rat model of a full-thickness articular cartilage defect to assess the duration of LacZ transgene expression and evaluate the ability of transplanted cells to acquire a chondrocytic phenotype. We evaluated cartilage repair macroscopically and histologically 4, 8, 12, and 24 weeks after surgery, and performed histologic grading of the repaired tissues. Results: BMP-4-expressing MDSCs acquired a chondrocytic phenotype in vitro more effectively than did MDSCs expressing only LacZ; the addition of TGF1 did not alter chondrogenic differentiation of the BMP-4-transduced MDSCs. LacZ expression within the repaired tissue continued for up to 12 weeks. Four weeks after surgery, we detected donor cells that coexpressed -galactosidase and type II collagen. Histologic scoring of the defect sites 24 weeks after transplantation revealed significantly better cartilage repair in animals that received BMP-4-transduced MDSCs than in those that received MDSCs expressing only LacZ. Conclusion: Local delivery of BMP-4 by genetically engineered MDSCs enhanced chondrogenesis and significantly improved articular cartilage repair in rats.
Source: Arthritis & Rheumatism; Volume 54, Issue 2, Date: February 2006, Pages: 433-442