%0 Journal Article
%T Selection of Highly Proliferative and Multipotent Meniscus Progenitors through Differential Adhesion to Fibronectin: A Novel Approach in Meniscus Tissue Engineering
%V 22
%N 16
%P 8614
%U https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/16/8614
%X Meniscus injuries can be highly debilitating and lead to knee osteoarthritis. Progenitor cells from the meniscus could be a superior cell type for meniscus repair and tissue-engineering. The purpose of this study is to characterize meniscus progenitor cells isolated by differential adhesion to fibronectin (FN-prog). Human osteoarthritic menisci were digested, and FN-prog were selected by differential adhesion to fibronectin. Multilineage differentiation, population doubling time, colony formation, and MSC surface markers were assessed in the FN-prog and the total meniscus population (Men). Colony formation was compared between outer and inner zone meniscus digest. Chondrogenic pellet cultures were performed for redifferentiation. FN-prog demonstrated multipotency. The outer zone FN-prog formed more colonies than the inner zone FN-prog. FN-prog displayed more colony formation and a higher proliferation rate than Men. FN-prog redifferentiated in pellet culture and mostly adhered to the MSC surface marker profile, except for HLA-DR receptor expression. This is the first study that demonstrates differential adhesion to fibronectin for the isolation of a progenitor-like population from the meniscus. The high proliferation rates and ability to form meniscus extracellular matrix upon redifferentiation, together with the broad availability of osteoarthritis meniscus tissue, make FN-prog a promising cell type for clinical translation in meniscus tissue-engineering.
%G en
%J International Journal of Molecular Sciences
%A Korpershoek, Jasmijn V.
%A Rikkers, Margot
%A de Windt, Tommy S.
%A Tryfonidou, Marianna A.
%A Saris, Daniel B. F.
%A Vonk, Lucienne A.
%D 2021-08-10