Effect of acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on gene expression of mesenchymal stem cells.

We have previously shown that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from patients with osteoarthritis (OA) constitutively express type X collagen, a marker of late-stage chondrocyte hypertrophy, osteogenic marker genes, including alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bone sialoprotein (BSP), and osteocalcin (OC), and chondrogenesis marker gene aggrecan (ACAN). As patients with arthritis often take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and acetaminophen (Acet), the purpose of the study was to assess whether these drugs can affect the gene expression of human MSCs. MSCs isolated from the bone marrow of patients with OA or normal donors were cultured without (control) or with Acet or NSAIDs, which include ibuprofen, diclofenac (Dic), naproxen, and celebrex.