ArticlePloS one2025
MHC-mismatched synovial mesenchymal stem cell injections delay knee osteoarthritis progression through hepatocyte growth factor secretion in rats.
Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundKnee osteoarthritis (OA) currently lacks disease-modifying treatments. While autologous mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation has shown promise, its limitations have led to growing interest in allogeneic MSC therapy. The aim of this study was to clarify the functional role of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in the chondroprotective effects of synovial MSCs transplanted under fully major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-mismatched allogeneic conditions in a rat model.
methodsSynovial MSCs were isolated from the knees of ACI rats and transfected with either Hgf siRNA or control siRNA. HGF knockdown was confirmed at both the mRNA and protein levels. Chondrogenic capacity was assessed by evaluating the cartilage pellet size after in vitro differentiation. OA was surgically induced in Lewis rats by anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT). At one week post-surgery, the rats (n = 20 knees/group) received weekly intra-articular injections of one of the following for 7 weeks: (1) vehicle control (medium alone), (2) control siRNA-treated MSCs, or (3) Hgf siRNA-treated MSCs (1 × 10⁶ cells). At 8 weeks post-injection, cartilage degeneration was evaluated using macroscopic and histological Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) scoring.
resultsTransfection with Hgf siRNA reduced Hgf gene expression to 30% of the control levels and significantly decreased HGF protein secretion. HGF knockdown impaired in vitro chondrogenic differentiation, resulting in a reduced cartilage pellet size. In vivo, treatment with control siRNA-treated MSCs significantly delayed OA progression compared to the vehicle group, while Hgf siRNA-treated MSCs demonstrated diminished therapeutic efficacy, indicating reduced chondroprotective effects when HGF secretion was suppressed.
conclusionsSynovial MSCs derived from ACI rats effectively delayed OA progression in Lewis rats despite the full MHC mismatch. HGF secretion played a critical role in mediating these chondroprotective effects. These findings highlight HGF as a key therapeutic effector in MSC-based treatment of OA under immunologically mismatched allogeneic conditions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.