Periodontal Ligament Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Increase Proliferation and Glycosaminoglycans Formation of Temporomandibular Joint Derived Fibrochondrocytes

Abstract EN

|Objectives.

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders are common disease in maxillofacial surgery.

The aim of this study is to regenerate fibrocartilage with a mixture of TMJ fibrochondrocytes and periodontal ligament derived mesenchymal stem cells (PD-MSCs).

Materials and Methods.

Fibrochondrocytes and PD-MSC were cocultured (ratio 1 : 1) for 3 weeks.

Histology and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) assay were performed to examine the deposition of GAG.

Green florescent protein (GFP) was used to track PD-MSC.

Conditioned medium of PD-MSCs was collected to study the soluble factors.

Gene expression of fibrochondrocytes cultured in conditioned medium was tested by quantitative PCR (qPCR).

Results.

Increased proliferation of TMJ-CH was observed in coculture pellets when compared to monoculture.

Enhanced GAG production in cocultures was shown by histology and GAG quantification.

Tracing of GFP revealed the fact that PD-MSC disappears after coculture with TMJ-CH for 3 weeks.

In addition, conditioned medium of PD-MSC was also shown to increase the proliferation and GAG deposition of TMJ-CH.

Meanwhile, results of qPCR demonstrated that conditioned medium enhanced the expression levels of matrix-related genes in TMJ-CH.

Conclusions.

Results from this study support the mechanism of MSC-chondrocyte interaction, in which MSCs act as secretor of soluble factors that stimulate proliferation and extracellular matrix deposition of chondrocytes.