In Vivo Model of Osteoarthritis to Compare Allogenic Amniotic Epithelial Stem Cells and Autologous Adipose Derived Cells

Francesca Veronesi; Milena Fini; Lucia Martini; Paolo Berardinelli; Valentina Russo; Giuseppe Filardo; Berardo Di Matteo; Maurilio Marcacci; Elizaveta Kon

doi:10.3390/biology11050681

In Vivo Model of Osteoarthritis to Compare Allogenic Amniotic Epithelial Stem Cells and Autologous Adipose Derived Cells

Biology (Basel). 2022 Apr 28;11(5):681. doi: 10.3390/biology11050681.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Complex Structure of Surgical Sciences and Technologies, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Via Di Barbiano 1/10, 40136 Bologna, Italy.
² Faculty of Bioscience and Agro-Food and Environmental Technology, University of Teramo, Via Balzarini 1, 64100 Teramo, Italy.
³ Applied and Translational Research (ATR) Center, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Via Di Barbiano 1/10, 40136 Bologna, Italy.
⁴ IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Via Manzoni 56, 20089 Milan, Italy.
⁵ Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Via Rita Levi Montalcini n. 4, 20090 Milan, Italy.

Abstract

The challenge of osteoarthritis (OA) is to find a minimally invasive orthobiological therapy to contrast OA progression, on inflammatory and structural fronts. The aim of the present study is to compare the effects of an intra-articular injection of three orthobiological treatments, autologous culture expanded adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (ADSCs), autologous stromal vascular fraction (SVF) and allogenic culture expanded amniotic epithelial stem cells (AECs), in an animal model of OA. OA was induced in 24 sheep by bilateral lateral meniscectomy and, at 3 and 6 months post-treatment, the results were analyzed with macroscopy, histology, histomorphometry, and biochemistry. All the three treatments showed better results than control (injection of NaCl), but SVF and AECs showed superiority over ADSCs, because they induced higher cartilage regeneration and lower inflammation. SVF showed better results than AECs at 3 and 6 months. To conclude, SVF seems to be more favorable than the other biological options, because it is easily obtained and rapidly used after harvesting, with good healing potential. AECs cause no discomfort and could be also considered for the treatment of OA joints.

Keywords: animal model; biological treatment; meniscectomy; osteoarthritis; sheep.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by PRIN: PROGETTI DI RICERCA DI RILEVANTE INTERESSE NAZIONALE—Bando 2015 (Amniotic epithelial stem cells (AECs) vs. adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs): translational potential as biological injective treatment for osteoarthritis); and by the Ministry of Health, Ricerca Corrente of the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute.