BMP-9 and TGF-β3 Synergistically Regulate Chondrogenic Pathways in Bovine Synovial Fluid Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (BSF-MSCs) in Transwell Co-Culture with Chondrocytes

English (OpenAlex)

The prevalence of osteoarthritis (OA), a degenerative condition affecting joints, has significantly risen in recent years.The primary pathogenic characteristic of OA encompasses the destruction of articular cartilage.Synovial fluid-derived mesenchymal stem cells (SF-MSCs) are considered a promising stem cell resource for healing cartilage defects due to their inherent multilineage differentiation capacity.Our study aimed to assess the chondrogenic differentiation potential of BSF-MSCs in a transwell co-culture system with chondrocytes.SF-MSCs were isolated, cultured, and characterized for multilineage differentiation potential.SF-MSCs were cultured with varying combinations of chondrogenic growth factors, including BMP-9 (10ng/mL) and TGF-β3 (10ng/mL), over 21 days in a transwell co-culture system along with chondrocytes.At the end of the experiment, the cells were analyzed for morphological assessments, immunofluorescence staining for COL-II, Alcian blue staining for glycosaminoglycan deposition, and real-time PCR for chondrogenic marker-specific markers including COL2A1, SOX9, ACAN, and for hypertrophic markers COL10A1.The results of real-time PCR revealed significant upregulation of COL2A1 (P<0.001),SOX9 (P<0.05), and ACAN (P<0.05) in experimental groups.These findings highlight the role of BMP-9 and TGF-β3 in enhancing chondrogenesis through BSF-MSCs and chondrocyte interactions.