Thermoreversi ble hyaluronan-hydrogel and autologous nucleus pulposus cell deli very regenerates human i ntervertebral di scs i n an ex vi vo, physi ologi cal organ culture model. Rosenzweig, D. H., Fairag, R., Mathieu, A. P., Li, L., Eglin, D., D'este, M., Steffen, T., Weber, M. H., Ouellet, J. A., & Haglund, L. European Cells and Materials, 36:200–217, 2018.
doi  abstract   bibtex   
Numerous studies show promise for cell-based tissue engineering strategies aiming to repair painful intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration. However, clinical translation to human IVD repair is slow. In the present study, the regenerative potential of an autologous nucleus pulposus (NP)-cell-seeded thermoresponsive hyaluronic acid hydrogel in human lumbar IVDs was assessed under physiological conditions. First, agarose-encased in vitro constructs were developed, showing greater than 90 % NP cell viability and high proteoglycan deposition within HA-pNIPAM hydrogels following 3 weeks of dynamic loading. Second, a bovine-induced IVD degeneration model was used to optimise and validate T1rho magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for detection of changes in proteoglycan content in isolated intact IVDs. Finally, isolated intact human lumbar IVDs were pre-scanned using the established MRI sequence. Then, IVDs were injected with HA-pNIPAM hydrogel alone or autologous NP-cell-seeded. Next, the treated IVDs were cultured under cyclic dynamic loading for 5 weeks. Post-treatment T1rho values were significantly higher as compared to pre-treatment scans within the same IVD and region of interest. Histological evaluation of treated human IVDs showed that the implanted hydrogel alone accumulated proteoglycans, while those that contained NP cells also displayed neo-matrix-surrounded cells within the gel. The study indicated a clinical potential for repairing early degenerative human IVDs using autologous cells/hydrogel suspensions. This unique IVD culture setup, combined with the long-term physiological culture of intact human IVDs, allowed for a more clinically relevant evaluation of human tissue repair and regeneration, which otherwise could not be replicated using the available in vitro and in vivo models.
@article{Rosenzweig2018200,
  abstract = {Numerous studies show promise for cell-based tissue engineering strategies aiming to repair painful intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration. However, clinical translation to human IVD repair is slow. In the present study, the regenerative potential of an autologous nucleus pulposus (NP)-cell-seeded thermoresponsive hyaluronic acid hydrogel in human lumbar IVDs was assessed under physiological conditions. First, agarose-encased in vitro constructs were developed, showing greater than 90 % NP cell viability and high proteoglycan deposition within HA-pNIPAM hydrogels following 3 weeks of dynamic loading. Second, a bovine-induced IVD degeneration model was used to optimise and validate T1rho magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for detection of changes in proteoglycan content in isolated intact IVDs. Finally, isolated intact human lumbar IVDs were pre-scanned using the established MRI sequence. Then, IVDs were injected with HA-pNIPAM hydrogel alone or autologous NP-cell-seeded. Next, the treated IVDs were cultured under cyclic dynamic loading for 5 weeks. Post-treatment T1rho values were significantly higher as compared to pre-treatment scans within the same IVD and region of interest. Histological evaluation of treated human IVDs showed that the implanted hydrogel alone accumulated proteoglycans, while those that contained NP cells also displayed neo-matrix-surrounded cells within the gel. The study indicated a clinical potential for repairing early degenerative human IVDs using autologous cells/hydrogel suspensions. This unique IVD culture setup, combined with the long-term physiological culture of intact human IVDs, allowed for a more clinically relevant evaluation of human tissue repair and regeneration, which otherwise could not be replicated using the available in vitro and in vivo models.},
  annote = {cited By 4},
  author = {Rosenzweig, D. H. and Fairag, R. and Mathieu, A. P. and Li, L. and Eglin, D. and D'este, M. and Steffen, T. and Weber, M. H. and Ouellet, J. A. and Haglund, Lisbet},
  doi = {10.22203/eCM.v036a15},
  issn = {14732262},
  journal = {European Cells and Materials},
  keywords = {Autologous cell implantation,Bioreactors,Human intervertebral disc,Hydrogel,Nucleus pulposus,T1rho magnetic resonance imaging,Tissue engineering},
  pages = {200--217},
  pmid = {30370912},
  title = {{Thermoreversi ble hyaluronan-hydrogel and autologous nucleus pulposus cell deli very regenerates human i ntervertebral di scs i n an ex vi vo, physi ologi cal organ culture model}},
  volume = {36},
  year = {2018}
  }

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