Summary
To find a new source of seed cells for constructing tissue-engineered intervertebral disc, nucleus pulposus (NP) cells and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were isolated from New Zealand white rabbits. The nucleus pulposus cells population was fluorescence-laelled and co-cultured with MSCs with or without direct contact. Morphological changes were observed every 12 h. Semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was performed to assess the expression levels of Sox-9, aggreacan and type II collagen every 24 h after the co-culture. MSCs treated with direct contact rounded up and presented a ring-like appearance. The expression of marker genes was significantly increased when cells were co-cultured with direct contact for 24 h. No significant change was found after coculture without direct contact. Co-culture of NP cells and MSCs with direct contact is a reliable method for generating large amount of NP cells used for cell-based tissue engineering therapy.
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Fenghua TAO, male, born in 1974, M.D., Ph.D.
This project was supported by a grant from the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China (No. 30772206).
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Tao, F., Li, F., Li, G. et al. Differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into nucleus pulposus cells in vitro . J. Huazhong Univ. Sci. Technol. [Med. Sci.] 28, 156–158 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-008-0210-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-008-0210-x