Effect of Piasclidin on Induction of Chondrogenesis by Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells in Fibrin Scaffold

Cartilage tissue damage is one of the problems in the clinic and the current treatment methods would not be lead to full repair of damage; therefore, tissue engineering in this field is considered. In tissue engineering, biomaterials such as growth factors and appropriate cells are used. Since the growth factors such as transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) leads to hypertrophy of cartilage, it is essential to achieve the appropriate inducer factors. Studies have shown that piasclidine had a positive effect on cultured chondrocytes. In this study, the effect of the piasclidine on chondrogenesis of human adipose-derived stem cells was examined. Fat samples were obtained from three liposuction surgeries. Stem cells were extracted from adipose tissue and proliferated via the third passage. Then, the cells were transferred to the fibrin scaffold and cultured for 21 days under the influence of the chondrogenic imedium in three groups. The rate of cell proliferation was evaluated using MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] method and the rate of gene expression of aggrecan and types II and X collagen was evaluated via real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. The rate of proliferation and survival of cells in a fibrin scaffold was not different significantly between the groups (P > 0.05); but the gene expression of type II collagen and aggrecan was significantly more expression of type X collagen was significantly less in piasclidine group compared to the of TGF-β group (P < 0.01). Piasclidine is an effective factor in induction of chondrogenesis of stem cells and also has a significant effect on reduction of the cell hypertrophy.