Transplantation of human skeletal muscle‐derived progenitor cells ameliorates knee osteoarthritis in streptozotocin‐induced diabetic mice

The epidemiological and experimental evidence suggests that diabetes can be an independent risk factor for osteoarthritis. The osteoarthritis‐like cartilage damage has been shown in streptozotocin‐induced diabetic mice. The therapeutic effects of human skeletal muscle‐derived progenitor cells (HSMPCs) on diabetic osteoarthritis still remain unclear. Here, we investigated the therapeutic potential of HSMPCs on diabetic knee osteoarthritis. The in vitro chondrogenic ability of HSMPCs was determined by pellet culture assay. Male mice were used to develop the model of streptozotocin‐induced type 1 diabetes and its related osteoarthritis. HSMPCs were injected intra‐articularly to rescue osteoarthritis. Protein expressions of advanced glycation end‐products, cyclooxygenase‐2, and type‐2 collagen in tissues were determined by immunohistochemistry. The pellet culture assay showed that HSMPCs cultured in differentiation medium for chondrogenesis significantly produced larger pellets with an overproduction of extracellular matrix than in growth medium. In in vivo experiments, intra‐articular injection of HSMPCs for 4 weeks significantly prevented the progression of degenerative changes in the cartilage of streptozotocin‐induced diabetic mice, including an obvious increase of total articular cartilage thickness and a decrease of fibrous cartilage thickness. HSMPCs transplantation also exerted the decline in advanced glycation end‐products and cyclooxygenase‐2 protein expression, but increased the type‐2 collagen protein expression in streptozotocin‐induced osteoarthritic cartilages. Moreover, HSMPCs transplantation also inhibited the increased serum interleukin‐6 and matrix metalloproteinase‐3 levels in diabetic mice. These results demonstrated for the first time that HSMPCs transplantation ameliorates cartilage degeneration in diabetes‐related osteoarthritis mice. These findings suggest that HSMPCs transplantation may apply as a potential therapeutic use of diabetes‐related osteoarthritis.