TY  - JOUR
SN  - 1757-6512
Y1  - 2016///
IS  - 21
A1  - Geburek, Florian
A1  - Mundle, Kathrin
A1  - Conrad, Sabine
A1  - Hellige, Maren
A1  - Walliser, Ulrich
A1  - van Schie, Hans T. M.
A1  - van Weeren, René
A1  - Skutella, Thomas
A1  - Stadler, Peter M.
N2  - Background: Adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (AT-MSCs) are frequently used to treat equine tendinopathies. Up to now, knowledge about the fate of autologous AT-MSCs after intralesional injection into equine superficial digital flexor tendons (SDFTs) is very limited. The purpose of this study was to monitor the presence of intralesionally injected autologous AT-MSCs labelled with superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles and green fluorescent protein (GFP) over a staggered period of 3 to 9 weeks with standing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histology.   Methods: Four adult warmblood horses received a unilateral injection of 10?×?106 autologous AT-MSCs into surgically created front-limb SDFT lesions. Administered AT-MSCs expressed lentivirally transduced reporter genes for GFP and were co-labelled with SPIO particles in three horses. The presence of AT-MSCs in SDFTs was evaluated by repeated examinations with standing low-field MRI in two horses and post-mortem in all horses with Prussian blue staining, fluorescence microscopy and with immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry using anti-GFP antibodies at 3, 5, 7 and 9 weeks after treatment.   Results: AT-MSCs labelled with SPIO particles were detectable in treated SDFTs during each MRI in T2*- and T1-weighted sequences until the end of the observation period. Post-mortem examinations revealed that all treated tendons contained high numbers of SPIO- and GFP-labelled cells.   Conclusions: Standing low-field MRI has the potential to track SPIO-labelled AT-MSCs successfully. Histology, fluorescence microscopy, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry are efficient tools to detect labelled AT-MSCs after intralesional injection into surgically created equine SDFT lesions. Intralesional injection of 10?×?106 AT-MSCs leads to the presence of high numbers of AT-MSCs in and around surgically created tendon lesions for up to 9 weeks. Integration of injected AT-MSCs into healing tendon tissue is an essential pathway after intralesional administration. Injection techniques have to be chosen deliberately to avoid reflux of the cell substrate injected. In vivo low-field MRI may be used as a non-invasive tool to monitor homing and engraftment of AT-MSCs in horses with tendinopathy of the SDFT.
UR  - https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/20217/
CY  - London
SP  - 1
TI  - Tracking of autologous adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells with in vivo magnetic resonance imaging and histology after intralesional treatment of artificial equine tendon lesions - a pilot study
AV  - public
ID  - heidok20217
JF  - Stem Cell Research & Therapy
VL  - 7
PB  - BioMed Central
EP  - 12
ER  -