BackgroundArticular cartilage displays a poor repair capacity. The aim of cell-based therapies for cartilage defects is to repair damaged joint surfaces with a functional replacement tissue. Currently, chondrocytes removed from a healthy region of the cartilage are used but they are unable to retain their phenotype in expanded culture. The resulting repair tissue is fibrocartilaginous rather than hyaline, potentially compromising long-term repair. Mesenchymal stem cells, particularly bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC), are of interest for cartilage repair due to their inherent replicative potential. However, chondrocyte differentiated BMSCs display an endochondral phenotype, that is, can terminally differentiate and form a calcified matrix, leading to failure in long-term defect repair. Here, we investigate the isolation and characterisation of a human cartilage progenitor population that is resident within permanent adult articular cartilage.Methods and FindingsHuman articular cartilage samples were digested and clonal populations isolated using a differential adhesion assay to fibronectin. Clonal cell lines were expanded in growth media to high population doublings and karyotype analysis performed. We present data to show that this cell population demonstrates a restricted differential potential during chondrogenic induction in a 3D pellet culture system. Furthermore, evidence of high telomerase activity and maintenance of telomere length, characteristic of a mesenchymal stem cell population, were observed in this clonal cell population. Lastly, as proof of principle, we carried out a pilot repair study in a goat in vivo model demonstrating the ability of goat cartilage progenitors to form a cartilage-like repair tissue in a chondral defect.ConclusionsIn conclusion, we propose that we have identified and characterised a novel cartilage progenitor population resident in human articular cartilage which will greatly benefit future cell-based cartilage repair therapies due to its ability to maintain chondrogenicity upon extensive expansion unlike full-depth chondrocytes that lose this ability at only seven population doublings.
Background Sensitization to food antigen may occur through cutaneous exposure. Objective Test the hypothesis that epicutaneous (EC) sensitization with food antigen predisposes to IgE-mediated anaphylaxis upon oral allergen challenge. Methods BALB/c mice were EC sensitized by repeated application of ovalbumin (OVA) to tape-stripped skin over 7 weeks, or orally immunized with OVA and cholera toxin (CT) weekly for 8 weeks, then orally challenged with OVA. Body temperature was monitored and serum mouse mast cell protease 1 (mMCP-1) level was determined following challenge. Tissue mast cells (MCs) were examined by chloroacetate esterase (CAE) staining. Serum OVA-specific IgE and IgG1 antibodies, and cytokines in supernatants of OVA-stimulated splenocytes, were measured by ELISA. Serum interleukin-4 (IL-4) levels were measured using an in vivo cytokine capture assay (IVCCA). Results EC sensitized mice exhibited expansion of connective tissue MC in the jejunum, increased serum IL-4 levels, and systemic anaphylaxis following oral challenge, as evidenced by decreased body temperature and increased serum mMCP-1 level. Intestinal MC expansion and anaphylaxis were IgE-dependent, as they did not occur in EC sensitized IgE−/− mice. Mice orally immunized with OVA+CT failed to increase serum IL-4 levels, expand their intestinal MCs, or develop anaphylaxis following oral challenge, despite OVA-specific IgE levels and splenocyte cytokine production in response to OVA stimulation, which were comparable to those of EC sensitized mice. Conclusion EC sensitized mice, but not mice orally immunized with antigen+CT, develop expansion of intestinal MCs and IgE-mediated anaphylaxis following single oral antigen challenge. IgE is necessary but not sufficient for food anaphylaxis, and MC expansion in the gut may play an important role in the development of anaphylaxis. Clinical Implications The skin may be an important route of sensitization to food antigens. Avoidance of cutaneous sensitization may prevent the development of food anaphylaxis.
We have previously demonstrated that cryopreservation and thawing lead to altered MSC functionalities. Here, we further analyzed MSC's fitness post freeze-thaw. We have observed that thawed MSC can suppress T-cell proliferation when separated from them by transwell membrane and the effect is lost in a MSC:T-cell coculture system. Unlike actively growing MSCs, thawed MSCs were lysed upon coculture with activated autologous PBMCs and the lysing effect was further enhanced with allogeneic PBMCs. The use of DMSO-free cryoprotectants or substitution of HSA with human platelet lysate in freezing media and use of autophagy or caspase inhibitors did not prevent thaw defects. We tested the hypothesis that IFNγ pre-licensing before cryobanking can enhance MSC fitness post thaw. Post thawing, IFNγ licensed MSCs inhibit T cell proliferation as well as fresh MSCs and this effect can be blocked by 1-methyl Tryptophan, an IDO inhibitor. In addition, IFNγ prelicensed thawed MSCs inhibit the degranulation of cytotoxic T cells while IFNγ unlicensed thawed MSCs failed to do so. However, IFNγ prelicensed thawed MSCs do not deploy lung tropism in vivo following intravenous injection as well as fresh MSCs suggesting that IFNγ prelicensing does not fully rescue thaw-induced lung homing defect. We identified reversible and irreversible cryoinjury mechanisms that result in susceptibility to host T-cell cytolysis and affect MSC's cell survival and tissue distribution. The susceptibility of MSC to negative effects of cryopreservation and the potential to mitigate the effects with IFNγ prelicensing may inform strategies to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of MSC in clinical use.
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