Cartilage repair by human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells with different hydrogels in a rat model.

This study was carried out to assess the feasibility of human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUCB-MSCs) in articular cartilage repair and to further determine a suitable delivering hydrogel in a rat model. Critical sized full thickness cartilage defects were created. The hUCB-MSCs and three different hydrogel composites (hydrogel A; 4% hyaluronic acid/30% pluronic (1:1, v/v), hydrogel B; 4% hyaluronic acid, and hydrogel C; 4% hyaluronic acid/30% pluronic/chitosan (1:1:2, v/v)) were implanted into the experimental knee (right knee) and hydrogels without hUCB-MSCs were implanted into the control knee (left knee). Defects were evaluated after 8 weeks. The hUCB-MSCs with hydrogels composites resulted in a better repair as seen by gross and histological evaluation compared with hydrogels without hUCB-MSCs. Among the three different hydrogels, the 4% hyaluronic acid hydrogel composite (hydrogel B) showed the best result in cartilage repair as seen by the histological evaluation compared with the other hydrogel composites (hydrogel A and C). The results of this study suggest that hUCB-MSCs may be a promising cell source in combination with 4% hyaluronic acid hydrogels in the in vivo repair of cartilage defects.