The Effect of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Wharton’s Jelly on ADAMTS-4 and iNOS Levels in Osteoarthritis Rat Model

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common diseases among the elderly. OA occurs due to an imbalance between degradation and synthesis in articular joint tissue, causing changes in joint components such as cells, matrices and molecular production. Therefore, knowledge of cartilage-degrading enzymes such as ADAMTS-4 and iNOS is needed. AIM: This study aims to prove the effect of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Wharton Jelly on decreasing ADAMTS-4 levels as cartilage-degrading enzymes and increasing levels of iNOS which showed the immunosuppressive potential of MSC-WJ in cases of osteoarthritis in vivo. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This research is an experimental study with the design of Post-test-Only Control Group Design. The sample consisted of 16 OA rats as a control group and 16 OA rats treated with MSC-WJ as a treatment group. OA induction is done by injection of monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) into the intra-articular right knee. Giving MSC-WJ is done in the third week after MIA induction. The serum ADAMTS-4 and iNOS levels were measured after 3 weeks treated with MSC-WJ using the ELISA method. The statistical test used is an independent t-test. The value of p < 0.05 was said to be statistically significant. RESULT: The result showed that serum ADAMTS-4 levels were lower in the group treated with MSC-WJ than in the control group, but not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Serum iNOS levels were higher in the group treated with MSC-WJ than in the control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study concluded that MSC-WJ significantly reduced ADAMTS-4 levels and increased the serum iNOS levels of OA rats.