The degradation of chondrogenic pellets using cocultures of synovial fibroblasts and U937 cells.

Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is often characterized by joint space narrowing on X-ray, knee pain, and a loss of joint function through progressive cartilage degradation and intermittent synovial inflammation. The objective of this work was to develop an in vitro model in a clinically relevant system. Normal human synovial fibroblasts were cultured with U937 cells for 3 days then combined with a chondrogenic stem cell pellet for another 4 days.

The roles of catabolic factors in the development of osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent disease of articular joints characterized by joint space narrowing on X-ray, joint pain, and a loss of joint function through progressive cartilage degradation and intermittent synovial inflammation. Current in vitro models of OA are often monolayer cultured primary cells exposed to high concentrations of cytokines or chemokines, usually IL-1β or TNF-α. IL-1β could play a role in the early progression or even initiation of OA as evidenced by many of the in vitro studies.

Murine osteoblasts regulate mesenchymal stem cells via WNT and cadherin pathways: mechanism depends on cell-cell contact mode.

Osteoblasts (OSTs) are derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and coexist in close proximity with MSCs in bone during development and remodelling. Interactions between these two cell types remain obscure. Through a well-defined co-culture model, the present work demonstrated that OSTs regulate MSCs through the WNT and cadherin pathways.

Cartilage tissue engineering with silk scaffolds and human articular chondrocytes.

Adult cartilage tissue has poor capability of self-repair, especially in case of severe cartilage damage due to trauma or age-related degeneration. Autologous cell-based tissue engineering using three-dimensional (3-D) porous scaffolds has provided an option for the repair of full thickness defects in adult cartilage tissue. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and chondrocytes are the two major cell sources for cartilage tissue engineering.

Expansion and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells on a vitamin C functionalized polymer.

In human body ascorbic acid plays an essential role in the synthesis and function of skeletal tissues and immune system factors. Ascorbic acid is also a major physiological antioxidant, repairing oxidatively damaged biomolecules, preventing the formation of excessive reactive oxygen species or scavenging these species. We recently reported the synthesis of ascorbic acid-functionalized polymers in which the antioxidant features of the pendant ascorbic acid groups was preserved.

In vitro cartilage tissue engineering with 3D porous aqueous-derived silk scaffolds and mesenchymal stem cells.

Adult cartilage tissue has limited self-repair capacity, especially in the case of severe damages caused by developmental abnormalities, trauma, or aging-related degeneration like osteoarthritis. Adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the potential to differentiate into cells of different lineages including bone, cartilage, and fat. In vitro cartilage tissue engineering using autologous MSCs and three-dimensional (3-D) porous scaffolds has the potential for the successful repair of severe cartilage damage.