Project Details
Purpose:
The aim of this study was to investigate the viability of cells collected with an in-line-suction autologous tissue collector from the tissue byproducts of arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. It also sought to characterize cells from different tissue types and to identify mesenchymal stem cells.
Methods:
Patients aged 14 to 50 years suffering from ACL injuries requiring arthroscopic reconstruction surgery were considered for enrollment. After screening, 12 patients were enrolled in this descriptive laboratory study. Arthroscopic byproduct tissue was collected using an in-line-suction autologous tissue collector from four intraoperative collection sites per patient: ACL stump, ACL fat pad, notchplasty debris, and tunnel drilling debris. All tissue samples underwent collagenase digestion, and the resulting cellular populations were analyzed in vitro for cellular viability, proliferative potential, qualitative multipotent differentiation capacity, and cell-surface marker presence.
Results:
An equivalent mass of arthroscopic byproduct tissue was collected from each of the four intraoperative sites (1.12-1.61 g, P = .433), with all showing an average viability of at least 99.95% and high average total nucleated cells (>1.37 × 10^7 cells/mL). There were no significant differences in collected mass (P = .433), cellular viability (P = .880), or total nucleated cells (P = .692) across the four byproduct tissues. However, significant differences were noted in monocyte (P = .037) and red blood cell (P = .038) concentrations, with higher values present in the ACL stump tissue. Cells from all byproduct tissues adhered to plastic cell culture flasks, with significant differences in colony-forming unit fibroblast counts observed between the four tissues when plated at 10^6 (P = .003) and 10^3 (P = .016) cells as the initial seeding density. A significant relationship was found between both the starting concentration (χ^2 = 32.7, P < .001) and the byproduct tissue type (χ^2 = 30.4, P < .001) to achieving ≥80% confluency status at 10 days. Cells obtained from all four byproduct tissues demonstrated positive tri-lineage (adipocyte, osteoblast, chondroblast) differentiation potential compared with negative controls under standardized in vitro differentiation conditions. Moreover, cells expressed cell-surface antigens CD105+, CD73+, CD90+, CD45-, CD14-, and CD19- (>75%), and did not express CD45 (<10%), with no statistically significant differences in cell-surface antigens between the four byproduct tissues.
Conclusions:
This study demonstrates that cells derived from arthroscopic byproduct tissues of ACL reconstruction remain viable when collected with an in-line-suction autologous tissue collector and meet the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) criteria to qualify as mesenchymal stem cells.
Clinical Relevance:
Viable mesenchymal stem cells are known to reside in byproduct tissue of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery (ACLR). Although practical methods for harvesting these cells at the point of care require further development, this study validates the use of an in-line-suction autologous tissue collector for harvesting viable mesenchymal stem cells post-ACLR.
Reference:
Anz, A., Cook, J., Branch, E., Rahming, C., Ostrander, R., Jordan, S. Cells Remain Viable When Collected with an In-line-suction Tissue Collector from Byproducts of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Surgery. Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and Rehabilitation (ASMAR). 12Dec2023.
Project Highlights
✅ Professional, peer-reviewed publication- Part of the Andrews Research & Education Foundation (https://andrewsref.org/)
✅ Novel approach to biologic MSC-based therapy for ACLR and knee OA
✅ All data analysis, visualization, and interpretation completed as part of a professional team, lead by Dr. Adam Anz (https://adamanzmd.com/)
