Intra-articular injection of autologous mesenchymal stem cells in six patients with knee osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis [OA] is a progressive disorder of the joints caused by gradual loss of articular cartilage, which naturally possesses a limited regenerative capacity. In the present study, the potential of intra-articular injection of mesenchymal stem cells [MSCs] has been evaluated in six osteoarthritic patients. Six female volunteers, average age of 54.56 years, with radiologic evidence of knee OA that required joint replacement surgery were selected for this study. About 50 ml bone marrow was aspirated from each patient and taken to the cell laboratory, where MSCs were isolated and characterized in terms of some surface markers. About 20-24x106 passaged-2 cells were prepared and tested for microbial contamination prior to intra-articular injection. During a one-year follow-up period, we found no local or systemic adverse events. All patients were partly satisfied with the results of the study. Pain, functional status of the knee, and walking distance tended to be improved up to six months post-injection, after which pain appeared to be slightly increased and patients' walking abilities slightly decreased. Comparison of magnetic resonance images [MRI] at baseline and six months post-stem cell injection displayed an increase in cartilage thickness, extension of the repair tissue over the subchondral bone and a considerable decrease in the size of edematous subchondral patches in three out of six patients. The results indicated satisfactory effects of intra-articular injection of MSCs in patients with knee OA

In vitro differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchy-mal stem cells into hepatocyte-like cells

Orthotropic liver transplantation [OLT] is the final procedure of both end stage and metabolic liver diseases. Hepatocyte transplantation is an alternative for OLT, but the sources of hepatocytes are limited. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells [BM-MSCs] can differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells and are a potential alternative source for hepatocytes. We aimed to investigate the differentiation potential of BM-MSCs into hepatocyte-like cells. Human BM-MSCs from a healthy donor were cultured and differentiated into hepatocyte-like cells. We investigated the expression of hepatocyte-specific markers in MSC-derived hepatocyte-like cells [MSC-HLC[s]] and evaluated their functionality using metabolic assays. MSC-HLCs expressed hepatocyte-specific markers at both mRNAand protein levels. In addition, the cells had the ability to uptake low density lipoprotein [LDL], clear ammonia, secrete albumin, and store glycogen. MSC-HLCs were transplanted into a familial hypercholesteromia patient. Human MSCs can be differentiated into partially functional hepatocyte-like cells. Thus, they could be a potential source for cell therapy in liver disorders