Xiao KZ, Liao G, Huang GY, Huang YL, Gu RH. Efficacy of serum-free cultured human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis in mice. World J Stem Cells 2024; 16(11): 944-955 [PMID: 39619871 DOI: 10.4252/wjsc.v16.i11.944]
Reader's ID:
05292747
Submitted on:
December 05, 2024, 01:51
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Reader Comments:
The authors provide evidence supporting the efficacy of serum-free cultured human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (N-hUCMSCs) in treating knee osteoarthritis (OA). However, as the results indicate that the therapeutic effects of N-hUCMSCs, serum-cultured hUCMSCs (S-hUCMSCs), and hyaluronic acid (HA) are comparable, the rationale for prioritizing N-hUCMSCs warrants further exploration, particularly in comparison to the well-established use of HA.
There are also issues with data quality and clarity
1.The study administered three injections (at 2, 4, and 6 weeks after model establishment). However, the rationale for this dosing schedule is not provided. HA dosing is not described in the manuscript.
2.The source of the N-hUCMSCs and S-hUCMSCs should be disclosed. Were these cells derived from the same donor? If not, what were the baseline characteristics of each donor (e.g., age, health status)? Such details are critical, as MSC functionality can vary significantly based on donor conditions.
3.Some results, such as those described in Figure 1 and the observation that “Uneven chondrocyte thickness, disorganized cartilage structure, and increased clefts were more pronounced in the model control group than in the blank control group,” are inappropriately placed in the methods section. These descriptions should be moved to the results section.
4. Figure 3c and 3d: Both graphs have the same y-axis label, but according to the results section, one should represent IL-6 and the other IL-1β.
Figure 4a and 4b: These panels illustrate hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining for the model and control groups. However, the HE results for the treatment groups (N-hUCMSCs, S-hUCMSCs, and HA) are missing. Including these results would provide a clearer comparison of treatment effects.
5.Figure 4d: The manuscript mentions that “The Mankin scores were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the model control group (P < 0.05),” but this result is not adequately represented in the figure.
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