Can photobiomodulation associated with implantation of mesenchymal adipose-derived stem cells attenuate the expression of MMPs and decrease degradation of type II collagen in an experimental model of osteoarthritis?

Abstract

This study aimed to determine whether photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) could improve the bioavailability and chondroprotective benefits of mesenchymal stem cells injected into the knees of rats used as an experimental model of osteoarthritis (OA) as well as reduce the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and degradation of type II collagen (COL2-1) in the cartilage. Adipose-derived stem/stromal cells (ADSCs) were collected from three male Fischer 344 rats and characterized by flow cytometry. Fifty female Fischer 344 rats were distributed into five groups of 10 animals each. These groups were as follows: control, OA, OA PBMT, OA ADSC, and OA ADSC PBMT. OA was induced in the animals using a 4% papain solution. Animals from the OA ADSC and OA ADSC PBMT groups received an intra-articular injection of 10 × 10 ADSCs and were treated with PBMT by irradiation (wavelength: 808 nm, power: 50 mW, energy: 42 J, energy density: 71.2 J/cm, spot size: 0.028). Euthanasia was performed 7 days after the first treatment. The use of PBMT alone and the injection of ADSCs resulted in downregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and MPs in cartilage compared to the OA group. PBMT and ADSCs caused upregulation of tissue inhibitors of MPs 1 and 2 and mRNA and protein expression of COL2-1 in cartilage compared to the OA group. The intra-articular injection of ADSCs and PBMT prevented joint degeneration resulting from COL2-1 degradation and modulated inflammation by downregulating cytokines and MMPs in the OA group.

High-Frequency Near-Infrared Diode Laser Irradiation Attenuates IL-1β-Induced Expression of Inflammatory Cytokines and Matrix Metalloproteinases in Human Primary Chondrocytes

“…In this study, qPCR analysis revealed that IL-1β significantly upregulated IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α mRNA levels in NHAC-Kn cells and that these levels were significantly attenuated after irradiation of the IL-1β-stimulated chondrocytes with a high-frequency near-infrared diode laser at 4 or 8 J/cm 2 . The gene expression of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in rat models of acute joint inflammation [54,55] and in the cartilage of rat models of OA [56] decreased significantly after LLLT (808 nm, 142 J/cm 2 ) and laser irradiation (808 nm, 71 J/cm 2 ), respectively. Moreover, photobiomodulation therapy (830 nm, 214 J/cm 2 ) effectively reduced the OA-induced IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α protein expression in experimental rat OA models [57].…”

Therapeutic potential of hyaluronic acid/chitosan nanoparticles for the delivery of curcuminoid in knee osteoarthritis and an in�vitro evaluation in chondrocytes

“…Sufficient collagen II is crucial for cartilage biomechanical properties ( 25 ), while previous findings determined that MMP-13 is the primary protein involved in cartilage degradation in the course of OA by cleaving collagen II ( 26 ). MMP-1 degrades type I, II, III, VII, X, IX and other types of collagen and aggrecan, while MMP-13 mainly cleaves collagen type II, IV and IX, osteonectin and perlecan in the cartilage ( 27 ). When stimulated by catabolism and anabolism, HA suppresses MMP-1 and MMP-13 ( 28 ).…”

Improving Cell Therapy Survival and Anabolism in Harsh Musculoskeletal Disease Environments

“…Physical methods that have been studied include photobiomodulation and electromagnetic fields (EMFs). 69,70 In a rat model of OA, photobiomodulation performed daily for 7 days after cell delivery resulted in improved cell survival, collagen II, TIMP, and IL-10 expression, and decreased inflammatory gene and MMP expression. 52 Testing of EMFs was done in vitro and demonstrated an ability to improve differentiation under IL-1b treatment.…”