Effect of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplant on synovial proliferation in rats with type II collagen-induced arthritis.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the influence and mechanism of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplant in the synovial proliferation of type II collagen-induced arthritis. MATERIALS AND METHODS From the bone marrow of Sprague-Dawley rats, mesenchymal stem cells were isolated and expanded. Forty rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: normal control, early mesenchymal stem cell treatment, late mesenchymal stem cell treatment, early collagen-induced arthritis control, and late collagen-induced arthritis control. The mesenchymal stem cells and normal saline were injected through the tail vein, and the following parameters were observed: arthritis index, articular pathology changes, serum vascular endothelial growth factor level, tumor necrosis factor-?, and interluekin-17 levels as detected through stable enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS The arthritis index and articular pathologic scores of the early and late treatment groups were lower compared with those of the control groups (P < .05). The arthritis index and articular pathologic scores of the late treatment group were lower than those of the early treatment group (P < .05). The levels of vascular endothelial growth factor, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interluekin-17 of the early and late treatment groups were significantly decreased compared with the collagen-induced arthritis control groups (P < .05), and these levels were positively correlated with the arthritis index and articular pathologic scores (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS The transplant of mesenchymal stem cells in rats with collagen-induced arthritis can inhibit the proliferation of synovium, which may be attributed to the reduced expression of vascular endothelial growth factor, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interluekin-17.