Microencapsulated stem cells reduce cartilage damage in a material dependent manner following minimally invasive intra-articular injection in an OA rat model.

ABSTRACT: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease of the joints for which no curative treatment exists. Intra-articular injection of stem cells is explored as a regenerative approach, but rapid clearance of cells from the injection site limits the therapeutic outcome. Microencapsulation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can extend the retention time of MSCs, but the outcomes of the few studies currently performed are conflicting. We hypothesize that the composition of the micromaterial's shell plays a deciding factor in the treatment outcome of intra-articular MSC injection. To this end, we microencapsulate MSCs using droplet microfluidic generators in flow-focus mode using various polymers and polymer concentrations. We demonstrate that polymer composition and concentration potently alter the

SUBMITTER: Johnbosco C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10507156 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature