Effect of donor age on the proportion of mesenchymal stem cells derived from anterior cruciate ligaments

Analysis of gene expression profiles of ACL-MSCs derived from total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and ACL reconstruction patients. We hypothesized that the proportion of MSCs in ACL samples correlates negatively with donor age, i.e., the proportion of MSCs in ACL samples are higher in younger patients undergoing ACL reconstruction than in older patients undergoing TKA. Results provide additional information on the the effect of age on MSC properties, in particular, the differential regulation of genes encoding components of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Total RNA was isolated from second-passage ACL-MSCs derived from TKA and ACL reconstruction patients