Title: Pathological Evaluation on Microanatomical Level for the Effect of Xenogeneic Stem Cell-Based Therapy on Replacement of Degraded Articular Cartilage in A Rabbit Model of Osteoarthritis
Authors: Abofila MTM&, Azab Elsayed Azab, H fahelbum, Absheenah ANA, Najat. A. Hasan, Mohamed A. Ali Elwafi, Aboajela R. I. Ajaj, Wafaa A. Al. Bashier, Imam U. M, M. H. Ng, Ramasamy R, Chen H. C, Ganabadi S.
Volume: 8
Issue: 12
Pages: 26-40
Publication Date: 2024/12/28
Abstract:
Background: Many forms of arthritis, and osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common one, leading to physical disability. The capability of both autologous and allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells to regenerate injured articular cartilage in OA has been proven. Objectives: This work aimed to study the effect of xenogeneic stem cells as a treatment for osteoarthritis based on pathological evidence at the microanatomy level. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four (24) male New Zealand white rabbits were used in this work. They were divided into four groups (n=6); the human stem cell-treated group (HSTG), the sodium hyaluronate-treated group (SHTG), the media stem cell-treated group (MSTG), and the normal saline-treated group (NSTG). OA was induced by a single intra-articular injection of monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) 2.5 mg/0.3 ml normal saline (NS). 4 weeks later of OA induction the (HSTG) was given a single intra-articular injection of human umbilical cord-derived Mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) at a density of 1.5X106 cells / 0.3 ml media, while the (SHTG) was treated with four injections of 0.3 ml 0.1% sodium hyaluronate at weekly intervals starting 4 weeks post OA induction. Lastly, both the (MSTG) & (NSTG) received an injection of the same volume of medium without cells & normal saline, respectively. Rabbits were euthanized by intravenous injection of sodium phenobarbital (Do lethal) 100mg/kg at 20 weeks post-OA induction then pathology images on microanatomy level were assessed. Results: The results revealed that there were significant differences among all groups in pathological scoring on groundbreaking levels of detail in microanatomy for the stifle joints evaluation at week 20 post-OA induction. The HSTG displayed the best pathological recovery outcomes scoring on the microanatomy level. They were followed by SHTG, which is restricted to pain relief, delayed progression of the disease, and improving general mobility. While the MSTG and NSTG exhibited the worst pathological scores. Conclusion: In brief, a single intra-articular injection of xenogeneic stem cells could stimulate the regeneration of damaged articular cartilage in osteoarthritis, as evidenced by improved pathological findings at the microanatomical level. However, the possibility of immune rejection for this type of cell transplantation requires further exploration, which was not noticed in this study.