Concise Review: Unraveling Stem Cell Cocultures in Regenerative Medicine: Which Cell Interactions Steer Cartilage Regeneration and How?

Abstract

This review provides a systematic overview of the literature on stem cell cocultures with cartilage cells and tries to elucidate the mechanisms that lead to chondrogenesis. It could serve as a basis for research groups and clinicians aiming to design and implement combined cellular technologies for single‐stage cartilage repair and treatment or prevention of osteoarthritis.

Response to: Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Time to Change the Name!

“…We also demonstrated that MSCs did not communicate solely through soluble factors, as direct cell-cell contact through gap junctions played an important role in the cellular crosstalk [4]. We and others showed that MSCs disappeared from cocultures while stimulating tissue regeneration [3,5].…”

“…We also demonstrated that MSCs did not communicate solely through soluble factors, as direct cell-cell contact through gap junctions played an important role in the cellular crosstalk [4]. We and others showed that MSCs disappeared from cocultures while stimulating tissue regeneration [3,5].In his Perspective, Arnold Caplan neatly describes the evolving insight that MSCs are derived from pericytes. Pericytes have been traced in vivo in different tissues and found to retain their original identity [6,7].…”

“…In aiming at cartilage regeneration, we mixed chondrocytes and MSCs, with the initial hypothesis that the environment would stimulate MSC differentiation [2]. Different groups demonstrated similar results when mixing these cells and incorrectly concluded it was the MSCs that were responsible for the cartilage tissue regeneration [3]. Soon we came to realize that it was not the MSCs that created reproducible cartilage constructs.…”

Novel bilayer bacterial nanocellulose scaffold supports neocartilage formation in vitro and in vivo

“…To cancel out cell culture, including the concomitant laboratory logistics and the double surgery, autologous cells should be isolated within the operating room and applied directly. In addition, the combination of chondrocytes with a less limited source of autologous cells, such as bone marrow mononuclear cells (MNC), can overcome the challenge of having too few cells and may even increase the treatment's performance [40,41]. By resuspending the cells in alginate, also the factor of cell loss after scaffold seeding can be diminished whilst simultaneously providing the cells with a 3D…”

A three-dimensional dynamic coculture system enabling facile cell separation for chondrogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells

“…Results of histological and immunofluorescence staining did not show apparent trends in the present study, which could be partially attributed to this composite mechanism of action. In fact, it has been implicated that the apparent effects of coculture can be dependent on a variety of factors, including medium component (i.e., FBS and TGF-␤), the nature of biomaterial matrix (e.g., alginate versus collagen) and cell ratio [39]. In several studies, varying effects of coculture in chondrocyte growth medium and chondrogenic medium has been observed, suggesting that FBS may modulate the coculture between MSCs and ACs [27,40].…”