Chondrogenic Differentiation of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells. First Successful Latin-American Report

Osteoarthritis is the more frequent cause of disability in adult people and it is associated to cartilage degeneration of affected joints. This cartilage has a limited ability to repair. Several treatments have been tested including the use of Mesenchymal Stem Cells. These cells are an attractive source for cartilage repair because of their availability to chodrogenic differentiation by progressing sequentially through the expression of cartilage specific extracelullar matrix molecules, as in the embryologic human development. The aim is to obtain, culture and differentiate rabbit Bone Marrow derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in vitro to chondral lineage. By differential centrifugation the mononuclear cell level was obtained from rabbit bone marrow samples. This level was cultured until 70% confluence. Chondrogenic differentiation was performed in an aggregate culture system with TGF-b1. Sample quantity, culture efficiency, confluence time of cultures and differentiation quality were all evaluated. An average sample of 14.5 ml per side was obtained, culture efficiency was 80%, and average confluence time (70%) was 18 days. Differentiation culture had an 80% efficiency and optimal differentiation quality. Rabbit Bone Marrow derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells culture is a reproducible technique and by the use of an adequate methodology chondrogenic cells can be obtained in vitro. This model permits the study of chondral differentiation process and could have direct clinical application. This is the first successful Latin-American report in Mesenchymal Stem Cells culture and chondrogenic differentiation.