Comparative Study of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Identity and Chondrogenic Differentiation Capacity of Human Nucleus Pulposus, Adipose and Bone Marrow Tissues Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Abstract

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent mesoderm-derived cells with high proliferation capacity, self-renewal, paracrine activity, and multilineage differentiation potential. Autologous MSCs from the same patients are particularly valuable for regenerative therapies, including those targeting degenerative intervertebral disc disorder (DIVDD). In this study, we directly compared autologous MSC sources obtained from the same patients, thereby reducing biological variability and strengthening translational relevance. We compared MSCs isolated from bone marrow (BM–MSCs), adipose tissue (AD–MSCs), and nucleus pulposus (NP–MSCs) obtained from the same DIVDD patient donor (N = 10 donors). We assessed their morphologies, proliferation abilities, immunophenotype, multilineage differentiation capacity, and chondrogenic differentiation–related gene and protein expression. All three MSC populations displayed similar fibroblast-like morphology and consistent immunophenotypic profiles. However, their functional properties differed: AD–MSCs exhibited significantly higher proliferative activity and greater adipogenic differentiation potential (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001), while osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation capacities were comparable across BM-MSCs, AD-MSCs, and NP-MSCs at both gene and protein levels (SOX9 and COMP). These findings suggest that AD-MSCs offer practical advantages in terms of proliferation capacity and accessibility. However, chondrogenic differentiation capacity was largely comparable across MSC sources. Further mechanistic studies and in vivo validation are required to determine their relative therapeutic efficacy for intervertebral disc regeneration.