Intradiscal Injection of Iron-Labeled Autologous Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain: A Feasibility Study With 2 Years Follow-Up.

Purpose: Degeneration of the intervertebral disc is considered to be central in pain pathogenesis in patients suffering from chronic low back pain (LBP). In recent years, the injection of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) into the disc to arrest or reverse the degenerative process has been proposed as an alternative therapy. The aim of the present study was to investigate the feasibility of using iron-labeled MSCs for intradiscal injection in patients with long-standing LBP.

Correction to: Extracellular vesicles from human mesenchymal stem cells expedite chondrogenesis in 3D human degenerative disc cell cultures.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Human Levels of MMP-1 in Degenerated Disks Can Be Mitigated by Signaling Peptides from Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) in intervertebral disks (IVDs) during IVD degeneration plays a vital role in low back pain (LBP). In healthy IVDs, synthesis and degradation of ECM are kept in balance by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of MMPs. MMPs are enzymes responsible for ECM degradation, and their expression levels are known to increase in degenerated disks.

Extracellular vesicles from human mesenchymal stem cells expedite chondrogenesis in 3D human degenerative disc cell cultures.

Background: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) from human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are known to be mediators of intercellular communication and have been suggested as possible therapeutic agents in many diseases. Their potential use in intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration associated with low back pain (LBP) is yet to be explored. Since LBP affects more than 85% of the western population resulting in high socioeconomic consequences, there is a demand for exploring new and possibly mini-invasive treatment alternatives.

Investigation of the Effect of Secreted Factors from Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Disc Cells from Degenerated Discs.

Low back pain is experienced by a large number of people in western countries and may be caused and influenced by many different pathologies and psychosocial factors including disc degeneration. Disc degeneration involves the increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in the disc environment, which leads to the loss of extracellular matrix (ECM) and the viability of the native disc cells (DCs). Treatment approaches using growth factors and cell therapy have been proposed due to the compelling results that growth factors and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can influence the degenerated discs.

BMP-3 Promotes Matrix Production in Co-cultured Stem Cells and Disc Cells from Low Back Pain Patients.

Low back pain is one of the most common disorders and believed to be due to intervertebral disc degeneration. Transplantation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) is suggested as potential treatment option. Bone morphogenetic growth factor 3 (BMP-3) promotes chondrogenesis and is proven effective in enhancing chondrogenesis in hMSCs pretreated with interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) in hydrogel model.

Pathological Effects of Cortisol on Intervertebral Disc Cells and Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Lower Back Pain Patients.

In western countries, lower back pain (LBP) is one of the most common disorders, experienced by more than 80% of the population. Chronic LBP due to disc degeneration has been linked to ongoing inflammatory processes in the disc and endplates. Pain effects the body in different ways, inducing a general stress response in which the body responds by releasing the stress hormone cortisol.

The Traceability of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells After Injection Into Degenerated Discs in Patients with Low Back Pain.

Low back pain is a major health issue and one main cause to this condition is believed to be intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration. Stem cell therapy for degenerated discs using mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) has been suggested. The aim of the study was to investigate the presence and distribution pattern of autologous MSCs transplanted into degenerated IVDs in patients and explanted posttransplantation.

Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Pretreated with Interleukin-1β and Stimulated with Bone Morphogenetic Growth Factor-3 Enhance Chondrogenesis.

Low back pain is one of the most common ailments in western countries afflicting more than 80% of the population, and the main cause is considered to be degeneration of intervertebral discs. Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is a vital inflammatory cytokine found in abundance in degenerated disc environment, whereas bone morphogenetic growth factor-3 (BMP-3) is believed to promote chondrogenesis through transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) pathway. The aim was to study the effects of BMP-3, IL-1β, and combination (pretreatment with IL-1β) on human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) encapsulated in PuraMatrix™ hydrogel (Phg) especially in the absence of TGF-β in order to investigate the proliferation and differentiation ability of hMSCs over 28-day period.