Turkish Neurosurgery 2022 , Vol 32 , Num 2
Efficacy of Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells in Spinal Fusion in a Rat Ovariectomy Osteoporosis Model
Min Kyun NA1,In-Suk BAE2,Hyeong-Joong YI1,Byung-Rok DO3,Kee D. KIM4,Hyoung-Joon CHUN1
1Hanyang University Medical Center, Department of Neurosurgery, Seoul, Korea
2Eulji University Eulji Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Seoul, Korea
3Biotechnology Research Institute, Hurim BioCell Inc., Seoul, Korea
4University of California, Department of Neurological Surgery, Davis, Sacramento, California, USA
DOI : 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.33739-21.4 AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of human adipose-derived stem cells (h-ADSCs) in spinal fusion in an osteoporotic rat model.

MATERIAL and METHODS: Female Sprague-Dawley rats (n=40) underwent ovariectomy and were then randomly assigned into two groups: ovariectomy (OVX) (OVX + fusion) and h-ADSCs (OVX + fusion + h-ADSCs). Six weeks after OVX, we performed bilateral lumbar spinal fusion using the autologous iliac bone with or without administration of h-ADSCs. The efficacy of the spinal fusion was then assessed using manual palpation, lateral ending, morphogenic examinations, and histology six weeks the after fusion procedure.

RESULTS: Fusion bed volume was different between the two groups but not significantly. However, the fusion bed density was higher in the h-ADSC group than in the OVX group. Manual palpation (70% vs. 40%, p=0.112) and lateral bending (95% vs. 55%, p=0.011) produced higher fusion rates in the h-ADSC group than in the OVX group. Additionally, a histologic examination revealed new bone formation at the fusion bed between the lamina and implanted iliac crest bone in the h-ADSC group, whereas, in the OVX group, the fusion masses were composed of fibroblastic proliferation.

CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that the administration of h-ADSCs may have advantages in bone formation and consolidation but does not lead to bone overgrowth. These findings indicate that the administration of h-ADSCs is an alternative and efficient method for spinal fusion. Keywords : Adipose-derived stem cell, Spinal fusion, Osteoporosis, Ovariectomy

Corresponding author : Hyoung-Joon CHUN, tdy815@hanyang.ac.kr