Isolation and Characterization of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells From Human Degenerated Nucleus Pulposus: Comparison With Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stromal Cells From the Same Subjects

• Published in: Spine (Philadelphia, Pa. 1976) Vol. 35; no. 26; pp. 2259 - 2265
• Main Authors: BLANCO, Juan F, GRACIANI, Ignacio F, HERRERO, Carmen, SAN MIGUEL, Jesus F, BRINON, Jesus G, DEL CANIZO, Maria-Consuelo, SANCHEZ-GUIJO, Fermin M, MUNTION, Sandra, HERNANDEZ-CAMPO, Pilar, SANTAMARIA, Carlos, CARRANCIO, Soraya, BARBADO, Maria-Victoria, CRUZ, Graciela, GUTIERREZ-COSIO, Silvia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 15-12-2010
• Subjects: Adipocytes - cytology; Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Bone Marrow Cells - cytology; Bone Marrow Cells - physiology; Cell Differentiation - physiology; Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy; Cells, Cultured; Cerebrospinal fluid. Meninges. Spinal cord; Development. Senescence. Regeneration. Transplantation; Diskectomy; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Ilium - cytology; Immunophenotyping; Intervertebral Disc - cytology; Intervertebral Disc - physiology; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration - pathology; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration - therapy; Lumbar Vertebrae - cytology; Male; Medical sciences; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells - cytology; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells - physiology; Middle Aged; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurology; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Human; degenerative disc disease; Nervous system diseases; intervertebral disc; Vertebral canal; mesenchymal stromal cells; Stroma; Nucleus pulposus; Treatment; cell therapy; Central nervous system disease; Bone marrow; Degenerative disease; Spinal cord disease; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0362-2436; 1528-1159
• DOI: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e3181cb8828

To identify mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) from degenerate human nucleus pulposus (NP) and compare them with bone marrow (BM) MSC.
To test whether MSC obtained from NP and BM from the same subjects share similar biologic characteristics.
Recent studies have proposed biologic strategies for the treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration, including cell therapy. Bone marrow (BM) MSC could be an attractive approach to restore disc function, and there is evidence that NP may contain MSC-like cells.
Tissue samples were obtained from degenerate lumbar NP and from iliac crest of the same 16 patients with degenerative disc diseases, undergoing discectomy and fusion procedures. MSC isolated from both sources were compared regarding their expansion time, immunophenotype, differentiation ability, and molecular analysis.
In all cases, MSC from NP were isolated and expanded. They fulfil nearly all morphological, inmunophenotypical, and differentiation criteria described by the International Society of Cell Therapy for MSC, with the exception that NP-MSC are not able to differentiate into adipocytes. Slight differences were observed with BM-MSC from the same subjects.
The NP contains mesenchymal stem cells. These cells were quite similar to mesenchymal stem cells from BM, with the exception of their adipogenic differentiation ability. These findings suggest that we may treat intervertebral disc degeneration by cell therapy (MSC from BM) and by stimulating endogenous MSC from NP.