RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Functional, molecular and proteomic characterisation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in rheumatoid arthritis
JF Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
JO Ann Rheum Dis
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and European League Against Rheumatism
SP 741
OP 749
DO 10.1136/ard.2007.076174
VO 67
IS 6
A1 M-C Kastrinaki
A1 P Sidiropoulos
A1 S Roche
A1 J Ringe
A1 S Lehmann
A1 H Kritikos
A1 V-M Vlahava
A1 B Delorme
A1 G D Eliopoulos
A1 C Jorgensen
A1 P Charbord
A1 T Häupl
A1 D T Boumpas
A1 H A Papadaki
YR 2008
UL http://ard.bmj.com/content/67/6/741.abstract
AB Objective: Bone marrow (BM) mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are being considered as potential therapeutic agents in various inflammatory autoimmune diseases for their tissue-repair and anti-inflammatory tissue-protective properties. This study investigates the reserves and function, the molecular and proteomic profile and the differentiation potential of BM MSCs in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods: We evaluated the frequency of MSCs in the BM mononuclear cell fraction using a limiting dilution assay, the proliferative/clonogenic potential and the capacity of cells to differentiate towards the osteogenic/chondrogenic/adipogenic lineages using appropriate culture conditions. We also assessed the molecular and proteomic characteristics in terms of inflammatory cytokine gene and protein expression, the relative telomere length and the survival characteristics of BM MSCs.Results: MSCs from patients with RA (n = 26) and age- and sex-matched healthy individuals (n = 21) were similar in frequency, differentiation potential, survival, immunophenotypic characteristics, and protein profile. Patient MSCs, however, had impaired clonogenic and proliferative potential in association with premature telomere length loss. Transcriptome analysis revealed differential expression of genes related to cell adhesion processes and cell cycle progression beyond the G1 phase. Previous treatment with methotrexate, corticosteroids, anti-cytokine and biological agents or other disease-modifying anti-inflammatory drugs did not correlate with the clonogenic and proliferative impairment of BM MSCs.Conclusion: In spite of some restrictions related to the impaired clonogenic and proliferative potential, our findings support the use of autologous BM MSCs in RA and may have important implications for the ongoing efforts to repair tissue injury commonly seen in the course of the disease.