الفهرس 
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Abstract
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with their ability of self-renewal and multilineage differentiation can differentiate into several types of cells including chondrocytes. It is reported that adult cartilage lacks the ability to repair itself; making articular cartilage a very attractive target for regenerative medicine therapy.
Stem cells are biological cells present in almost all multicellular organisms with the great ability of self- renewal, and multipotency. Adult mesenchymal stem cells can be isolated from several sources including bone marrow, umbilical cord, adipose tissue, placenta, amniotic fluid, dental pulp, breast milk, and synovium.
Adult mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) have the ability to differentiate into cells of mesodermal (osteocytes, chondrocytes, and adipocytes), ectodermal (neurons) and endodermal origins. The chondrocyte is the main constituent cell of cartilage with two major functions according to the cell’s location. The chondrocytes that occupy supporting structures such as articular cartilage have the function of synthesis and maintenance of the extracellular matrix that is able to withstand physical deformation and facilitate cartilage function. The other function of chondrocytes is the growth of epiphyseal plates.
Joint diseases are very difficult to be treated with traditional therapy lines. This is due to the fact that joints are avascular tissues and their chondrocytes are cytoplasmically isolated from its neighboring cells with no ready access to the vascular system and the tissue is not innervated. Hence the importance of developing new therapeutic methods such as stem cell therapy. Mesenchymal stem cells can differentiate into chondrocytes that can be used as a treatment for skeletal diseases such as osteoarthritis.
The aim of the work is to assess the ability of stem cells to differentiate into chondrocytes in vitro and assess the ability of those chondrocytes to induce cartilage repair and suppress cartilage degeneration in MIA- induced osteoarthritis in rat models.
The present study included 30 UC samples, 5 of them were excluded because of contamination and the other 25 cases were undergone chondrogenic differentiation.
All samples were subjected to the followings: isolation of UC-MSCs was done using explants method. The cells then were cultured for 14 days and were identified by their morphology (fibroblastic- like cells) and flowcytometric analysis of cell surface markers (CD34-, CD44+ and CD73+). The UC-MSCs were cultured in chondrogenic differentiating media and after 3 weeks were identified by morphology and ICC
The chondrocytes then were used in an animal experimental study including eighteen adult male Wister albino rats of the same age, weighing 150-200 gm and housed within proper housing conditions. The animals were divided into 3 equal groups as following:
group A is a control group.
group B is MIA-treated group
group C is MIA- Chondrocytes treated group
Three weeks after chondrocytes injection, all rats were sacrificed. The results were tabulated and statistically analyzed.