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Evaluation of cartilage biomechanics and knee joint microenvironment after different cell-based treatments in a sheep model of early osteoarthritis

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Abstract

Purpose

Aiming to prevent cartilage damage during early osteoarthritis (OA), the therapeutic challenge is to restore and maintain the physiological and functional properties of such a tissue with minimally invasive therapeutic strategies.

Methods

Accordingly, an in vivo model of early OA in sheep was here treated through three different cell therapies (culture expanded ADSCs, SVF, and culture expanded AECs) thus to preserve the joint surface from the progression of the pathology. Three months after the treatment injections, their performance was assessed through mechanical automated mapping (Young’s modulus and cartilage thickness), gross evaluation of articular surfaces, and biochemical analysis of the synovial fluid.

Results

No severe degeneration was observed after three months from OA induction. Cartilage mechanical properties were crucial to identify early degeneration. All the treatments improved the macroscopic cartilage surface aspect and reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines in the synovial fluid. Among the three treatments, SVF highlighted the best performance while ADSCs the worst.

Conclusion

Despite that the evaluated experimental time is an early follow-up and, thus, longer trial is mandatory to properly assess treatments effectiveness, the proposed multidisciplinary approach allowed to obtain preliminary, but also crucial, results concerning the reduction in OA signs on cartilage properties, in osteophyte development and in all the inflammatory markers.

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Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This work was partially supported by the Ministry of Health-Ricerca Corrente to the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute and 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).

Author information

Author notes

  1. Francesca Veronesi and Matteo Berni contributed equally to this work as first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Preclinical and Surgical Studies, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Via Di Barbiano 1/10, 40136, Bologna, Italy

    Francesca Veronesi, Lucia Martini & Milena Fini

  2. Medical Technology Laboratory, Laboratory of Biomechanics and Technology Innovation, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Via Di Barbiano 1/10, 40136, Bologna, Italy

    Matteo Berni

  3. Laboratory of Biomechanics and technology innovation, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Via di Barbiano 1/10, 40136, Bologna, Italy

    Gregorio Marchiori

  4. Department of Information Engineering, University of Brescia, Via Branze 38, 25123, Brescia, Italy

    Giorgio Cassiolas & Nicola Francesco Lopomo

  5. Faculty of Bioscience and Agro-Food and Environmental Technology, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy

    Aurelio Muttini & Barbara Barboni

  6. StemTeCh Group, Chieti, Italy

    Aurelio Muttini

  7. Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Via Rita Levi Montalcini 4, 20090 Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy

    Maurilio Marcacci & Elizaveta Kon

  8. Humanitas Clinical and Research Center – IRCCS, Via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy

    Maurilio Marcacci & Elizaveta Kon

  9. Department of Traumatology, Orthopedics and Disaster Surgery, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), 2-4 Bolshaya Pirogovskaya st, Moscow, Russia, 119991

    Elizaveta Kon

Authors
  1. Francesca Veronesi
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  2. Matteo Berni
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  3. Gregorio Marchiori
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  4. Giorgio Cassiolas
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  5. Aurelio Muttini
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  6. Barbara Barboni
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  7. Lucia Martini
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  8. Milena Fini
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  9. Nicola Francesco Lopomo
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  10. Maurilio Marcacci
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  11. Elizaveta Kon
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Contributions

Conceptualization: Francesca Veronesi, Matteo Berni, Gregorio Marchiori, Milena Fini, Elizaveta Kon;

Methodology: Giorgio Cassiolas, Aurelio Muttini, Barbara Barboni, Lucia Martini;

Formal analysis and investigation: Francesca Veronesi, Matteo Berni, Gregorio Marchiori;

Writing - original draft preparation: Francesca Veronesi, Matteo Berni, Gregorio Marchiori;

Writing - review and editing: Milena Fini, Elizaveta Kon, Maurilio Marcacci;

Supervision: Milena Fini, Elizaveta Kon, Maurilio Marcacci.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gregorio Marchiori.

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Conflicts of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethics approval

The study was conducted in accordance with the European and Italian Law on animal experiments. The research protocol was approved (N.62/2018-PR date 29/01/2018) by the Ethical Committee of Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute and by the responsible public authorities in agreement with EU regulations (EU Directive 2010/63/EU for animal experiments).

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Veronesi, F., Berni, M., Marchiori, G. et al. Evaluation of cartilage biomechanics and knee joint microenvironment after different cell-based treatments in a sheep model of early osteoarthritis. International Orthopaedics (SICOT) 45, 427–435 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-020-04701-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-020-04701-y

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