Can photobiomodulation associated with implantation of mesenchymal adipose-derived stem cells attenuate the expression of MMPs and decrease degradation of type II collagen in an experimental model of osteoarthritis?

This study aimed to determine whether photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) could improve the bioavailability and chondroprotective benefits of mesenchymal stem cells injected into the knees of rats used as an experimental model of osteoarthritis (OA) as well as reduce the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and degradation of type II collagen (COL2-1) in the cartilage. Adipose-derived stem/stromal cells (ADSCs) were collected from three male Fischer 344 rats and characterized by flow cytometry. Fifty female Fischer 344 rats were distributed into five groups of 10 animals each. These groups were as follows: control, OA, OA PBMT, OA ADSC, and OA ADSC PBMT. OA was induced in the animals using a 4% papain solution. Animals from the OA ADSC and OA ADSC PBMT groups received an intra-articular injection of 10 × 10 ⁶ ADSCs and were treated with PBMT by irradiation (wavelength: 808 nm, power: 50 mW, energy: 42 J, energy density: 71.2 J/cm ² , spot size: 0.028). Euthanasia was performed 7 days after the first treatment. The use of PBMT alone and the injection of ADSCs resulted in downregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and MPs in cartilage compared to the OA group. PBMT and ADSCs caused upregulation of tissue inhibitors of MPs 1 and 2 and mRNA and protein expression of COL2-1 in cartilage compared to the OA group. The intra-articular injection of ADSCs and PBMT prevented joint degeneration resulting from COL2-1 degradation and modulated inflammation by downregulating cytokines and MMPs in the OA group.