Mostafa Aya, Korayem Horeya E, Fekry Ereny, Hosny Somaya
Department of Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.
J Microsc Ultrastruct. 2020 May 20;9(1):31-38. doi: 10.4103/JMAU.JMAU_2_20. eCollection 2021 Jan-Mar.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative debilitating disease, primarily affects joints, particularly weight-bearing areas. The surface layer of the articular cartilage breaks down and wears away leading to rubbing of bones, pain, swelling, and joint stiffness.
This study investigates the possible therapeutic effects of intra-articular versus intravenous injection of umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells (UCB-MSCs) against mono-iodoacetate-induced OA of the knee joints in male albino rats, using histological and immunohistochemical techniques.
Thirty male adult albino rats were randomized into five groups as follows: Group (I) and (II): Served as control. Group (III): Osteoarthritic group. Group IV: Osteoarthritic and intraarticularly-injected MSCs. Group V: Osteoarthritic and intravenously-injected MSCs. Animals were sacrificed 1 month after stem cell injection, the right knee was prepared for histological techniques (Hematoxylin and Eosin and Toluidine blue stains) and immunohistochemical technique (Bax stain). Prussian blue stain was used to assess homing of MSCs in Groups IV and V.
Knee joint surface was irregular, fissured, and fragmented in Group III. In Groups IV and V, affected area was filled with newly formed tissue. Toluidine blue showed a decrease in matrix staining in Group III compared to both control and MSCs-treated groups. Chondrocytes in Group III showed strong Bax immunoreactivity and this reaction decreased in Group IV and V; however, Group V immunoreactivity was more than Group IV. Prussian blue stain showed labeled UCB-MSCs in many chondrocytes in Group IV and few chondrocytes in Group V.
Intraarticularly-injected UCB-MSCs showed better healing of knee OA than intravenously-injected UCB-MSCs.
骨关节炎（OA）是一种慢性退行性衰弱疾病，主要影响关节，尤其是负重部位。关节软骨表层分解磨损，导致骨头摩擦、疼痛、肿胀和关节僵硬。
本研究采用组织学和免疫组化技术，调查关节内注射与静脉注射脐带血间充质干细胞（UCB-MSCs）对雄性白化大鼠单碘乙酸诱导的膝关节OA的可能治疗效果。
30只成年雄性白化大鼠随机分为五组：第一组和第二组：作为对照组。第三组：骨关节炎组。第四组：骨关节炎并关节内注射间充质干细胞组。第五组：骨关节炎并静脉注射间充质干细胞组。干细胞注射1个月后处死动物，取右膝用于组织学技术（苏木精和伊红染色以及甲苯胺蓝染色）和免疫组化技术（Bax染色）。普鲁士蓝染色用于评估第四组和第五组中间充质干细胞的归巢情况。
第三组膝关节表面不规则、有裂缝且破碎。第四组和第五组中，病变区域充满新形成的组织。与对照组和间充质干细胞治疗组相比，第三组甲苯胺蓝显示基质染色减少。第三组软骨细胞显示出强烈的Bax免疫反应性，第四组和第五组中这种反应减弱；然而，第五组的免疫反应性高于第四组。普鲁士蓝染色显示第四组许多软骨细胞中有标记的脐带血间充质干细胞，第五组中少数软骨细胞中有标记。
关节内注射脐带血间充质干细胞比静脉注射脐带血间充质干细胞对膝关节OA的愈合效果更好。
