Therapeutic Benefit for Late, but Not Early, Passage Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Pain Behaviour in an Animal Model of Osteoarthritis

Figure 4

(a–c) MNX surgery was associated with significant chondropathy (a), joint inflammation (b), and increased presence of osteophytes (c), compared to sham controls at 42 days postsurgery. None of the treatments in MNX rats significantly altered the extent of chondropathy, inflammation, or osteophyte number. Statistical analysis used Kruskal-Wallis test with Dunn’s post hoc, , . Data are mean ± SEM, 2–4 sections per rats were analysed, and total numbers of sections are sham-SFM: 37; MNX-SFM: 55; MNX-MSC early passage: 44; MNX Kenalog: 42; MNX-MSC late passage: 20. (d–f) Serum levels of cytokines in MNX- and sham-operated rats at 42 days postsurgery. There were no differences in IL-10 expression between the treatment groups (d). There was a significant increase in serum TNFα in the MNX-MSC early passage treatment group, compared to the sham-SFM controls and MNX-MSC late passage treatment group (e). There were no significant differences in serum βNGF expression between the groups. Statistical analysis used Kruskal-Wallis test with Dunn’s post hoc, , . Data are overall mean ± SEM, whilst mean values from duplicate samples per rat were analysed; total numbers of mean values are sham-SFM: 15; MNX-SFM: 22; MNX-MSC early passage: 10; MNX Kenalog: 9; and MNX-MSC late passage: 23.

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