Abstract
Osteoarthritis [OA] is a chronic, prevalent, debilitating joint disease characterized by progressive cartilage degradation, subchondral bone remodeling, bone marrow lesions, meniscal damage, and synovitis. Joint diseases are very difficult to be treated with traditional line therapy. Hence the importance of developing new therapeutic methods such as stem cell therapy. Mesenchymal Stem Cells [MSCs] isolated from multiple tissues as bone marrow, adipose tissue, dental pulp, placenta and umbilical cord. They possess ability of self-renewal and multilineage differentiation which is a hoping tool for treatment of multiple diseases. The aim of this study is to assess the ability of stem cells to differentiate into chondrocytes and the ability of those chondrocytes to induce cartilage repair and suppresses cartilage degeneration in Monosodium iodoacetate [MIA] induced osteoarthritis in rats' model. In this experimental study Wharton jelly separated from umbilical cord was used to isolate MSCs then differentiated to chondrocytes and injected into MIA induced osteoarthritis in rat's model. The rats divided into three groups; control group, MIA-treated group and MIA- Chondrocytes treated group.
Results: MIA- Chondrocytes treated group appeared healthy with no signs of inflammation. On microscopic examination: the articular cartilage of injected limbs showed observable restoration of surface continuity, chondrocytes density, boundaries between layers and matrix basophilia.
Conclusion: Intra-articular injection of chondrocytes improves, inhibits the progression of degeneration of the affected cartilage and induces cartilage repair.