Proteoglycans Enhance the Therapeutic Effect of BMSC Transplantation on Osteoarthritis

Background: The injection of bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) for osteoarthritis (OA) treatment fails to address the disrupted extracellular microenvironment, limiting the differentiation and paracrine functions of BMSCs and resulting in suboptimal therapeutic outcomes. Proteoglycans (PGs) promot...

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Main Authors: Chunxiao Ran, Tianhao Liu, Yongming Bao, Weidan Wang, Dongling Xue, Guangxiao Yin, Xiuzhi Zhang, Dewei Zhao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Bioengineering
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/11/11/1167
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author Chunxiao Ran
Tianhao Liu
Yongming Bao
Weidan Wang
Dongling Xue
Guangxiao Yin
Xiuzhi Zhang
Dewei Zhao
author_facet Chunxiao Ran
Tianhao Liu
Yongming Bao
Weidan Wang
Dongling Xue
Guangxiao Yin
Xiuzhi Zhang
Dewei Zhao
author_sort Chunxiao Ran
collection DOAJ
description Background: The injection of bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) for osteoarthritis (OA) treatment fails to address the disrupted extracellular microenvironment, limiting the differentiation and paracrine functions of BMSCs and resulting in suboptimal therapeutic outcomes. Proteoglycans (PGs) promote cell differentiation, tissue repair, and microenvironment remodeling. This study investigated the potential of combining PGs with BMSCs to increase the efficacy of OA treatment. Methods: We evaluated the effects of PG on BMSC and chondrocyte functions by adding various PG concentrations to the culture media. Additionally, a Transwell system was used to assess the impact of PG on the communication between BMSCs and chondrocytes. The results of the in vitro experiment were verified by tissue staining and immunohistochemistry following the treatment of OA model rats. Results: Our findings indicate that PG effectively induces Col II expression in BMSCs and enhances the paracrine secretion of TGF-β1, thereby activating the TGF-β signaling pathway in chondrocytes and increasing PRG4 gene expression. Compared with the other groups, the BMSC/PG treatment group presented a smoother articular surface and more robust extracellular matrix than the other groups in vivo, with significantly increased expression and distribution of Smad2/3 and PRG4. Conclusions: PG enhances BMSC differentiation into chondrocytes and stimulates paracrine TGF-β1 secretion. Proteoglycans not only promote chondrocyte differentiation and paracrine TGF-β1 signaling in BMSCs but also increase the sensitivity of chondrocytes to TGF-β1 secreted from BMSCs, leading to PRG4 expression through the TGFR/Smad2/3 pathway. Proteoglycans can enhance the therapeutic effect of BMSC treatment on OA and have the potential to delay the degeneration of OA cartilage.
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spelling doaj-art-3f137ffb9ea14754b9cab8884741cc812025-08-20T02:28:07ZengMDPI AGBioengineering2306-53542024-11-011111116710.3390/bioengineering11111167Proteoglycans Enhance the Therapeutic Effect of BMSC Transplantation on OsteoarthritisChunxiao Ran0Tianhao Liu1Yongming Bao2Weidan Wang3Dongling Xue4Guangxiao Yin5Xiuzhi Zhang6Dewei Zhao7Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Zhongshan Hospital of Dalian University, Dalian 116001, ChinaDepartment of Orthopedics, Affiliated Zhongshan Hospital of Dalian University, Dalian 116001, ChinaDepartment of Life Science and Biotechnology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, ChinaDepartment of Orthopedics, Affiliated Zhongshan Hospital of Dalian University, Dalian 116001, ChinaDepartment of Orthopedics, Affiliated Zhongshan Hospital of Dalian University, Dalian 116001, ChinaDepartment of Orthopedics, Affiliated Zhongshan Hospital of Dalian University, Dalian 116001, ChinaDepartment of Orthopedics, Affiliated Zhongshan Hospital of Dalian University, Dalian 116001, ChinaDepartment of Orthopedics, Affiliated Zhongshan Hospital of Dalian University, Dalian 116001, ChinaBackground: The injection of bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) for osteoarthritis (OA) treatment fails to address the disrupted extracellular microenvironment, limiting the differentiation and paracrine functions of BMSCs and resulting in suboptimal therapeutic outcomes. Proteoglycans (PGs) promote cell differentiation, tissue repair, and microenvironment remodeling. This study investigated the potential of combining PGs with BMSCs to increase the efficacy of OA treatment. Methods: We evaluated the effects of PG on BMSC and chondrocyte functions by adding various PG concentrations to the culture media. Additionally, a Transwell system was used to assess the impact of PG on the communication between BMSCs and chondrocytes. The results of the in vitro experiment were verified by tissue staining and immunohistochemistry following the treatment of OA model rats. Results: Our findings indicate that PG effectively induces Col II expression in BMSCs and enhances the paracrine secretion of TGF-β1, thereby activating the TGF-β signaling pathway in chondrocytes and increasing PRG4 gene expression. Compared with the other groups, the BMSC/PG treatment group presented a smoother articular surface and more robust extracellular matrix than the other groups in vivo, with significantly increased expression and distribution of Smad2/3 and PRG4. Conclusions: PG enhances BMSC differentiation into chondrocytes and stimulates paracrine TGF-β1 secretion. Proteoglycans not only promote chondrocyte differentiation and paracrine TGF-β1 signaling in BMSCs but also increase the sensitivity of chondrocytes to TGF-β1 secreted from BMSCs, leading to PRG4 expression through the TGFR/Smad2/3 pathway. Proteoglycans can enhance the therapeutic effect of BMSC treatment on OA and have the potential to delay the degeneration of OA cartilage.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/11/11/1167proteoglycansbone marrow mesenchymal stem cellscartilage repairparacrineosteoarthritis
spellingShingle Chunxiao Ran
Tianhao Liu
Yongming Bao
Weidan Wang
Dongling Xue
Guangxiao Yin
Xiuzhi Zhang
Dewei Zhao
Proteoglycans Enhance the Therapeutic Effect of BMSC Transplantation on Osteoarthritis
Bioengineering
proteoglycans
bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells
cartilage repair
paracrine
osteoarthritis
title Proteoglycans Enhance the Therapeutic Effect of BMSC Transplantation on Osteoarthritis
title_full Proteoglycans Enhance the Therapeutic Effect of BMSC Transplantation on Osteoarthritis
title_fullStr Proteoglycans Enhance the Therapeutic Effect of BMSC Transplantation on Osteoarthritis
title_full_unstemmed Proteoglycans Enhance the Therapeutic Effect of BMSC Transplantation on Osteoarthritis
title_short Proteoglycans Enhance the Therapeutic Effect of BMSC Transplantation on Osteoarthritis
title_sort proteoglycans enhance the therapeutic effect of bmsc transplantation on osteoarthritis
topic proteoglycans
bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells
cartilage repair
paracrine
osteoarthritis
url https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/11/11/1167
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AT weidanwang proteoglycansenhancethetherapeuticeffectofbmsctransplantationonosteoarthritis
AT donglingxue proteoglycansenhancethetherapeuticeffectofbmsctransplantationonosteoarthritis
AT guangxiaoyin proteoglycansenhancethetherapeuticeffectofbmsctransplantationonosteoarthritis
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