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BACKGROUND: Current treatment of disc degeneration is limited to palliative care or active surgical intervention, but neither can it slow or reverse disease progression, nor is the long-term efficacy satisfactory. In recent years, with the continuous development of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, the use of cell therapy to repair degenerative intervertebral discs has attracted more and more researchers’ attention. OBJECTIVE: To summarize the current status of cell transplantation in the treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration, and to provide theoretical basis and experimental basis for future research. METHODS: The relevant articles were retrieved from the CNKI, WanFang and PubMed databases by computer. The search time was set from January 2001 to January 2019. The keywords were “intervertebral disc degeneration, cell therapy, stem cells, cell transplantation” in Chinese and English, respectively. Articles related to stem cell treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration, especially focusing on the latest experimental and clinical research results, were included. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Degeneration of the intervertebral disc is mainly caused by the decreased vitality and quantity of nucleus pulposus cells, the reduction of proteoglycan synthesis, the dehydration of nucleus pulposus and the increase of metabolic waste. Continuous explorations on the therapeutic mechanism by which cell transplantation promotes nucleus pulposus regeneration cannot only provide a more detailed understanding of the pathogenesis and repair mechanism of intervertebral disc degeneration, but also give new strategies for the prevention and cell therapy of other related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Current studies have addressed the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) mostly from fresh human umbilical cord, but rarely from cryopreserved human umbilical cord. OBJECTIVE: To isolate MSCs from cryopreserved human umbilical cord, and to compare the biological characteristics of human umbilical cord MSCs (hUC-MSCs) harvested using several culture methods. METHODS: hUC-MSCs isolated from cryopreserved umbilical cord tissues by explants culture method were cultured in serum-containing and serum-free media. Cell morphology was observed to draw the growth curve of cells in different media. Passage 3 hUC-MSCs cultured in serum-free medium and passage 14 hUC-MSCs in serum-containing medium were selected to detect the expression of surface biomarkers by flow cytometry. Passage 3 cells in the serum-free medium were induced for adipogenic, osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation, and differentiation marker genes were identified by qPCR. Expression of cytokines in the passage 7 cells cultured in the serum-free medium and in the culture supernatant was detected. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The hUC-MSCs isolated from cryopreserved human umbilical cord exhibited a spindle-shaped appearance and exuberant growth, and moreover, the cells could be expanded in serum-free medium but the cell proliferation was certainly slower than that in the serum-containing medium. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that the hUC-MSCs were positive for CD73, CD90, CD103, but negative for CD45, CD34, CD14/CD11b, CD79a/CD19, and HLA-DR. Adipogenic (PPARγ), osteogenic (Osteonectin) and chondrogenic (Collagen II) biomarker genes were highly expressed at 14-28 days of induction. Passage 7 hUC-MSC and its supernatant secreted several cytokines including granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, interferon α2, chemokine IP-10, interleukin 4, and interleukin-6. In conclusion, we could successfully isolate and expand hUC-MSCs from cryopreserved human umbilical cord tissuesBACKGROUND: Current studies have addressed the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) mostly from fresh human umbilical cord, but rarely from cryopreserved human umbilical cord. OBJECTIVE: To isolate MSCs from cryopreserved human umbilical cord, and to compare the biological characteristics of human umbilical cord MSCs (hUC-MSCs) harvested using several culture methods. METHODS: hUC-MSCs isolated from cryopreserved umbilical cord tissues by explants culture method were cultured in serum-containing and serum-free media. Cell morphology was observed to draw the growth curve of cells in different media. Passage 3 hUC-MSCs cultured in serum-free medium and passage 14 hUC-MSCs in serum-containing medium were selected to detect the expression of surface biomarkers by flow cytometry. Passage 3 cells in the serum-free medium were induced for adipogenic, osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation, and differentiation marker genes were identified by qPCR. Expression of cytokines in the passage 7 cells cultured in the serum-free medium and in the culture supernatant was detected. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The hUC-MSCs isolated from cryopreserved human umbilical cord exhibited a spindle-shaped appearance and exuberant growth, and moreover, the cells could be expanded in serum-free medium but the cell proliferation was certainly slower than that in the serum-containing medium. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that the hUC-MSCs were positive for CD73, CD90, CD103, but negative for CD45, CD34, CD14/CD11b, CD79a/CD19, and HLA-DR. Adipogenic (PPARγ), osteogenic (Osteonectin) and chondrogenic (Collagen II) biomarker genes were highly expressed at 14-28 days of induction. Passage 7 hUC-MSC and its supernatant secreted several cytokines including granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, interferon α2, chemokine IP-10, interleukin 4, and interleukin-6. In conclusion, we could successfully isolate and expand hUC-MSCs from cryopreserved human umbilical cord tissues [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]