Changes in circulating leukocyte popylatings following intraarticular injection hMSC in animal osteoarthritis model

  • М. В. Ковальчук
  • Т. П. Гулько
  • М. В. Драгулян
  • Н. С. Шувалова
  • Е. Г. Дерябина
  • В. А. Кордюм

Abstract

Aim. To investigate the transplanted human Wharton’s Jelly MSC survival in rat model of experimental osteoarthritis, and changes in circulating leukocyte populations following MSC injection. Methods. Culturing of MSC in vitro. PCR analysis of DNA from animal tissue. Blood cell count and calculation of circulating lymphocyte subpopulations Results. It has been shown by PCR that human alpha-DNA can be detected during one day in the wounded hosts inside injured stifle joint. Blood cell count revealed reliable changes in lymphocyte subpopulations in peripheral blood. Conclusions. Detection of MSC donor DNA was negatively correlated with time from MSC injection to sample collection. MSC transplantation induced transient reliable increases in circulating white blood cells, lymphocytes, and neutrophils in most transplant recipients but not control animals. This study demonstrates that hMSCs are weakly immunogenic in vivo in animal osteoarthritis model.

Key words: hMSC, survival, immunogenicity, osteoarthritis model.