The neurogenic differentiation of rabbit synovial fluid mesenchymal stem cells

Objective: Synovial fluid-derived mesenchymal stem cells represent a minimally invasive and highly proliferative source of multipotent cells with emerging potential in regenerative medicine. While their mesodermal differentiation is established, limited data exist on their neurogenic differentiation potential in rabbits. This study aimed to isolate and characterize rabbit synovial fluid mesenchymal stem cells and assess their capacity for neurogenic differentiation in vitro. Materials and Methods: Cells were isolated from rabbit knee synovial fluid, cultured, and confirmed to express typical mesenchymal stem cell surface markers. After neurogenic differentiation process, cells also were confirmed with ENOS2, MAP2 and Nestin markers. Results: Following neurogenic induction, synovial fluid mesenchymal stem cells displayed neuron-like morphology and upregulated neural markers, including Nestin, ENO2, and MAP2, as confirmed by Real Time-PCR. For mesenchymal stem cell identification, compare to control group CD 44, CD 73, CD90 and CD 105 genes were upregulated while CD 34 and CD 45 genes were downregulated. Conclusion: These results demonstrate the neurogenic potential of rabbit synovial fluid mesenchymal stem cells and support their application in preclinical models for neural repair.