BMP2 and TGF-β Cooperate Differently during Synovial-Derived Stem-Cell Chondrogenesis in a Dexamethasone-Dependent Manner
Nikolas J. Kovermann,
Valentina Basoli,
Elena Della Bella,
Mauro Alini,
Christoph Lischer,
Hagen Schmal,
Eva Johanna Kubosch,
Martin J. Stoddart
Affiliations
Nikolas J. Kovermann
AO Research Institute, AO Foundation, 7270 Davos, Switzerland
Valentina Basoli
AO Research Institute, AO Foundation, 7270 Davos, Switzerland
Elena Della Bella
AO Research Institute, AO Foundation, 7270 Davos, Switzerland
Mauro Alini
AO Research Institute, AO Foundation, 7270 Davos, Switzerland
Christoph Lischer
Equine Clinic, Free University of Berlin, 14163 Berlin, Germany
Hagen Schmal
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Odense University Hospital, 5000 Odense, Denmark
Eva Johanna Kubosch
Department of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, Medical Center-Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
Martin J. Stoddart
AO Research Institute, AO Foundation, 7270 Davos, Switzerland
Recent studies highlighting mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) epigenetic memory suggest that a different differentiation medium may be required depending on the tissue of origin. As synovial-derived stem cells (SDSCs) attract interest we aimed to investigate the influence of TGF-β1, BMP-2 and dexamethasone on SDSC chondrogenesis in vitro. We demonstrate that dexamethasone-free medium led to enhanced chondrogenic differentiation at both the mRNA and matrix level. The greatest COL2A1/COL10A1 ratio was detected in cells exposed to a combination medium containing 10 ng/mL BMP-2 and 1 ng/mL TGF-β1 in the absence of dexamethasone, and this was reflected in the total amount of glycosaminoglycans produced. In summary, dexamethasone-free medium containing BMP-2 and TGF-β1 may be the most suitable when using SDSCs for cartilage tissue regeneration.
