Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute, logna, Italy.
J Biol Regul Homeost Agents. 2013 Jan-Mar;27(1):165-75.
Bone marrow is one of the best characterized stem cell microenvironments that contains Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs), a rare population of non-hematopoietic stromal cells. MSCs have been indicated as a new option for regenerative medicine because of their ability to differentiate into various lineages such as bone, cartilage and adipose tissue. However, isolation procedures are crucial for the functional activity of the transplanted cells. The use of concentrated bone marrow cells (BMCs) enables a cell population surrounded by its microenvironment (niche) to be implanted while avoiding all the complications related to the in vitro culture. The cells of the niche are able to regulate stem cell behavior through direct physical contact and secreting paracrine factors. The aim of this study was to characterize BMCs in vitro to evaluate their ability to differentiate toward mature cells and try to understand whether there are differences in the chondrogenic and osteogenic potential of cells from patients of different ages. Mononuclear Cells (MNCs) isolated by Ficoll were used as control. Both cell populations were grown in monolayers and differentiated with specific factors and analyzed by histological and molecular biology assays to evaluate the expression of some specific extracellular matrix molecules. The present investigations revealed the ability of BMCs to act as isolated cells. They are able to form colonies and differentiate toward chondrogenic and osteogenic lineages, the latter pathway appearing to be influenced by donor age. The results obtained by this study support the use of BMCs in clinical practice for the repair of osteochondral damage, which might be particularly useful for the one-step procedure allowing cells to be directly implanted in operating room.
骨髓是最具特征性的干细胞微环境之一，其中包含间充质干细胞（MSCs），这是一种罕见的非造血基质细胞群体。由于其能够分化为骨骼、软骨和脂肪组织等多种谱系，MSCs 已被认为是再生医学的一种新选择。然而，分离程序对于移植细胞的功能活性至关重要。使用浓缩的骨髓细胞（BMCs）可以将被其微环境（龛）包围的细胞群体进行植入，同时避免与体外培养相关的所有并发症。龛中的细胞能够通过直接物理接触和分泌旁分泌因子来调节干细胞行为。本研究的目的是对 BMCs 进行体外表征，以评估其向成熟细胞分化的能力，并试图了解来自不同年龄患者的细胞在软骨和成骨潜能方面是否存在差异。通过 Ficoll 分离的单核细胞（MNCs）被用作对照。将这两种细胞群体在单层中培养，并使用特定的因子进行分化，然后通过组织学和分子生物学分析来评估一些特定细胞外基质分子的表达。目前的研究结果揭示了 BMCs 作为分离细胞的能力。它们能够形成集落并向软骨和成骨谱系分化，后者途径似乎受到供体年龄的影响。这项研究的结果支持在临床实践中使用 BMCs 来修复骨软骨损伤，这对于允许细胞直接在手术室中植入的一步法程序可能特别有用。
