The Role of OASCs on Rat Model of TMJ Arthritis

Objective: Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a structure that participates in jaw movement. There is a TMJ disc which is a fibrocartilaginous tissue containing chondrocyte- like and fibroblast-like cells. It plays an important role for coordinated movements and functions of this joint. TMJ arthritis may induce restriction of the joint movement and lead to the TMJ destruction. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells that can be injected directly into the degenerated disc, thus help disc repair. In order to establish the animal model which imitate TMJ inflammation, Complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) is worldwide and effective adjuvant for experimental antibody production to induce TMJ arthritis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the capability of oral adipose stem cells for preparation and build the CFA-induced TMJ arthritis on rat model. Method: Oral adipose stem cells (OASCs) derived from oral adipose tissues were isolated from routine dental operation by following IRB. OASCs were stained by the early stage stem cell markers (OCT4, NANOG, REX1, and SOX2) and the lineage differentiation markers (BMP4 and Fibronectin). We injected the Alcian blue into TMJ to demonstrate the injected position and injected CFA to establish the TMJ inflammation model. To evaluate physical changes (Body weight, Diet intake and Head widths) during fourteen days. Result: The ability of OASCs may differentiate into the cells which can be found in TMJ disc. After CFA injection, intense swelling of the TMJ region can be observed during these fourteen days and the disc surrounding tissue is fused together after sacrificed. Conclusion: This result confirmed the differentiation ability of OASCs and observed the trend of TMJ inflammation in rat.