Potential of Human Nucleus Pulposus-Like Cells Derived From Umbilical Cord to Treat Degenerative Disc Disease

Abstract

The findings of this study demonstrating feasibility and efficacy of NPCs to regenerate NP should spur interest for clinical studies to treat DDD using cell therapy.

Mesenchymal stem cells: Cell therapy and regeneration potential

“…The transplanted MSC‐derived NPCs survived, migrated, and integrated in the nucleus pulposus (NP) of the intervertebral discs (IVDs). NPC transplantation also improved the water and glycosaminoglycan content of the NP, resulting in an increase in disc height and suggesting regeneration of rabbit NP (Perez‐Cruet et al, ). In another study, human MSCs and their retinal progenitor derivatives were transplanted into rd12 mice retina and survived, dispersed, and integrated in the different layers of the retina.…”

“…Stem cell‐based therapies can greatly impact the field of regenerative medicine. MSCs have been used in preclinical and clinical studies to treat degenerative diseases, such as AD (Cui et al, ; Han et al, ; J. Shin et al, ; X. Wang, Ma, et al, ), DDD (Ahn et al, ; Beeravolu et al, ; Pereira et al, ; Perez‐Cruet et al, ), MS (Harris et al, ; Nasri et al, ; Planchon et al, ), PD (Jamali et al, ; H. Kim, Lee, et al, ), and RDD (Mead, Amaral, & Tomarev, ), as summarized in Table . The regenerative mechanisms of transplanted MSCs for these diseases are still unclear; however, some reports have suggested that MSCs have the potential to differentiate or have paracrine effects in vivo (Lee, Choi, Cha, & Hwang, ).…”

“…The regenerative mechanisms of transplanted MSCs for these diseases are still unclear; however, some reports have suggested that MSCs have the potential to differentiate or have paracrine effects in vivo (Lee, Choi, Cha, & Hwang, ). Our recent preclinical studies showed that nucleus pulposus‐like cells (NPCs) derived from MSCs were more efficacious than MSCs in a rabbit model of DDD (Beeravolu et al, ; Perez‐Cruet et al, ). The transplanted MSC‐derived NPCs survived, migrated, and integrated in the nucleus pulposus (NP) of the intervertebral discs (IVDs).…”

“…MSCs have shown promising outcomes in preclinical and clinical studies for treating pain and degenerative diseases such as AD, DDD, MS, PD, and RDD and providing immunomodulatory, neuroprotective, and anti‐inflammatory responses in vivo (Beeravolu et al, ; Ding, Kumar, & Mok, ; Gugliandolo, Bramanti, & Mazzon, ; Nasri et al, ; Osborne, Sanderson, & Martin, ; Perez‐Cruet et al, ; Turgeman, ; van Buul et al, ; R. Zhang, Liu, et al, ). Studies have shown that MSCs can be differentiated to NPCs to regenerate the NP in the IVD and to retinal progenitor cells to regenerate the retina within the eye (Beeravolu et al, ; Ding et al, ; Perez‐Cruet et al, ). Furthermore, MSCs have the ability to exert an anti‐inflammatory and immunomodulatory response (R. Zhang, Liu, et al, ).…”

The Influence of Hyperosmolarity in the Intervertebral Disc on the Proliferation and Chondrogenic Differentiation of Nucleus Pulposus-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

“…Currently, different stem cell-based regenerative approaches have been applied to cure IVD degeneration, aiming at halting or reversing the degeneration [Perez-Cruet et al, 2018]. Many in vitro studies have shown that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) contribute to IVD regeneration by chondrogenic differentiation, which increases the synthesis of aggrecan, collagen I, and collagen II [Aguilera-Castrejon et al, 2017].…”