Effects of insulin-like growth factor-induced Wharton jelly mesenchymal stem cells toward chondrogenesis in an osteoarthritis model

Objective(s): This study aimed to determine the collagen type II (COL2) and SOX9 expression in interleukin growth factor (IGF-1)-induced Wharton’s Jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJMSCs) and the level of chondrogenic markers in co-culture IGF1-WJMSCs and IL1β-CHON002 as osteoarthritis (OA) cells model. Materials and Methods: WJMSCs were induced with IGF1 (75, 150, and 300 ng/ml) to enhance their chondrogenesis capability. The gene expression of SOX9 and COL2 was evaluated with quantitative RT-PCR. Furthermore, IGF1-WJMSCs were co-cultured with IL1β-CHON002 cells in varied ratios (1:2, 1:1, 2:1). Chondrogenic markers ADAMTS1, ADAMTS5, MMP3, MMP1, and RANKL were measured with ELISA. Results: The IGF1-WJMSCs had an increased expression of COL2 and SOX9. ADAMTS1, ADAMTS5, MMP1, MMP3, and RANKL levels were decreased in the co-culture IGF1-WJMSCs and IL1β-CHON002. Conclusion: The IGF1-induced WJMSCs were capable to enhance chondrogenesis, indicated by increased expression of SOX9 and COL2 and decreased expression of ADAMTS1, ADAMTS5, MMP3, MMP1, and RANKL. These findings can be further used in the osteoarthritis treatment.