Induction of tenogenic differentiation of equine stem cells

I try to keep these updates confined to information that the equestrian can use in the care of their horses. But frequently I come across experimental findings that, while not currently available, should soon be available and owners and veterinarians should be looking for. This is one such paper. I think we are getting closer and closer to being able to regrow damaged equine tendon tissue to near normal.
DrO

Induction of tenogenic differentiation of equine adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells by platelet-derived growth factor-BB and growth differentiation factor-6
Mol Biol Rep. 2020 Sep;47(9):6855-6862.
Authors
Shabnam Javanshir # 1 , Fatemeh Younesi Soltani # 1 , Gholamreza Dowlati # 1 , Abbas Parham 2 3 , Hojjat Naderi-Meshkin 4
Affiliations

1 Division of Physiology, Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
2 Division of Physiology, Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran. parham@um.ac.ir.
3 Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine Research Group, Research Institute of Biotechnology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Azadi Square, Mashhad, 9177948974, Iran. parham@um.ac.ir.
4 Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Research Group, Iranian Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Khorasan Razavi Branch, Mashhad, Iran.

# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Managing tendon healing process is complicated mainly due to the limited regeneration capacity of tendon tissue. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have potential applications in regenerative medicine and have been considered for tendon repair and regeneration. This study aimed to evaluate the capacity of equine adipose tissue-derived cells (eASCs) to differentiate into tenocytes in response to platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) and growth differentiation factor-6 (GDF-6) in vitro. Frozen characterized eASCS of 3 mares were thawed and the cells were expanded in basic culture medium (DMEM supplemented with 10% FBS). The cells at passage 5 were treated for 14 days in different conditions including: (1) control group in basic culture medium (CM), (2) induction medium as IM (CM containing L-prolin, and ascorbic acid (AA)) supplemented with PDGF-BB (20 ng/ml), (3) IM supplemented with GDF-6 (20 ng/ml), and (4) IM supplemented with PDGF-BB and GDF-6. At the end of culture period (14th day), tenogenic differentiation was evaluated. Sirius Red staining was used to assess collagen production, and H&E was used for assessing cell morphology. mRNA levels of collagen type 1 (colI), scleraxis (SCX), and Mohawk (MKX), as tenogenic markers, were analyzed using real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). H&E staining showed a stretching and spindle shape (tenocyte-like) cells in all treated groups compared to unchanged from of cells in control groups. Also, Sirius red staining data showed a significant increase in collagen production in all treated groups compared with the control group. MKX expression was significantly increased in PDGF-BB and mixed groups and COLI expression was significantly increased only in PDGF-BB group. In conclusion, our results showed that PDGF-BB and GDF-6 combination could induce tenogenic differentiation in eASCs. These in vitro findings could be useful for cell therapy in equine regenerative medicine.

Keywords: Equine; Growth factors; Mesechymal stem cells; Tendon repair; Tenogenic markers.