The Hypoxia-Mimetic Agent Cobalt Chloride Differently Affects Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Their Chondrogenic Potential

Gabriella Teti; Stefano Focaroli; Viviana Salvatore; Eleonora Mazzotti; Laura Ingra'; Antonio Mazzotti; Mirella Falconi

doi:10.1155/2018/3237253

The Hypoxia-Mimetic Agent Cobalt Chloride Differently Affects Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Their Chondrogenic Potential

Stem Cells Int. 2018 Mar 13:2018:3237253. doi: 10.1155/2018/3237253. eCollection 2018.

Authors

Gabriella Teti¹, Stefano Focaroli¹, Viviana Salvatore², Eleonora Mazzotti³, Laura Ingra'¹, Antonio Mazzotti⁴, Mirella Falconi¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
² An2H Discovery Limited, National Institute of Cellular Biotechnology (NICB), Dublin City University Campus, Dublin, Ireland.
³ Faculty of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy.
⁴ First Orthopaedic and Traumatologic Clinic, Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.

Abstract

Adult stem cells are a promising cell source for cartilage regeneration. They resided in a special microenvironment known as the stem-cell niche, characterized by the presence of low oxygen concentration. Cobalt chloride (CoCl₂) imitates hypoxia in vitro by stabilizing hypoxia-inducible factor-alpha (HIF-1α), which is the master regulator in the cellular adaptive response to hypoxia. In this study, the influence of CoCl₂ on the chondrogenic potential of human MSCs, isolated from dental pulp, umbilical cord, and adipose tissue, was investigated. Cells were treated with concentrations of CoCl₂ ranging from 50 to 400 μM. Cell viability, HIF-1α protein synthesis, and the expression of the chondrogenic markers were analyzed. The results showed that the CoCl₂ supplementation had no effect on cell viability, while the upregulation of chondrogenic markers such as SOX9, COL2A1, VCAN, and ACAN was dependent on the cellular source. This study shows that hypoxia, induced by CoCl₂ treatment, can differently influence the behavior of MSCs, isolated from different sources, in their chondrogenic potential. These findings should be taken into consideration in the treatment of cartilage repair and regeneration based on stem cell therapies.