Development of an iPSC-based screening platform identifying enhancers of chondrogenesis

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Objective There is currently no long-term treatment for the repair of damaged cartilage and osteoarthritis (OA). Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are an ideal cell source for screening platforms due to their ability to self-renew and differentiate to cell types that would otherwise require invasive surgeries to obtain, such as chondrocytes and mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). Here, we developed an iPSC-based screening platform and tested previously described pro-chondrogenic small molecule compounds, to determine their potential to identify hits. Design iPSC derived chondroprogenitors (iCPs) and neural crest cell (NCC) derived MSCs (iNCC-MSCs) were generated, and their chondrogenic potential was confirmed. The iPSC derived cells and a primary bone marrow derived MSC (BM-MSC) line were cultured as pellets and treated with different concentrations of small molecule compounds, in the presence of chondrogenic inducing growth factors, over 14 days at 2 ​% O 2 . Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) synthesis was quantified by a 1,9- dimethylmethylene blue (DMMB) assay. Results After 14 days of chondrogenesis, forskolin, baicalin and sesamin enhanced GAG synthesis in the iCPs, and forskolin enhanced GAG synthesis in the iNCC-MSCs, while no small molecule compounds enhanced GAG synthesis in the BM-MSCs. Conclusion Our findings further demonstrate how the small molecules pro-chondrogenic effe

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

Browse all related research

Filter the research library by this study's title keywords, author, or publication year.