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ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Effects of standard and photoactivated platelet-rich plasma on human meniscus fibrochondrocytes in IL-1β-induced inflammation
1 MEDSI Clinic, Clinical Hospital No. 1, Moscow, Russia
2 Scientific and Diagnostic Center "Polyclinic on Smolenskaya", Moscow, Russia
3 St. Luke Lugansk State Medical University, Russia
Correspondence should be addressed: Aleksey S. Ivanov
A. Dikogo 16A, 73, 111396, Moscow, Russia, ur.liam@5891golotamvartahsas
Author contribution: Kerimov KB — study design, experimental procedure, calculations; Ivanov AS — study design, experimental design; Tananakina TP — study design, experimental design, scientific supervision; Kashchenko SA — scientific editing, scientific supervision, part in preparing the experiment; Pogorelova IA — technical proofreading, part in preparing the experiment.
Compliance with ethical standards: the study approved by the Ethics Committee of the St. Luke Lugansk State Medical University (protocol No. 2 dated May 26, 2026) was fully compliant with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) Board "Guidelines for the Use of Laboratory (Experimental) Animals in Preclinical (Non-Clinical) Studies" dated November 14, 2023, No. 33, principles of the European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals used for Experimental and Other Scientific Purposes, as well as the Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Union on the Protection of Animals Used for Scientific Purposes. All the patients submitted the written informed consent for the material collected to be used for experimental purposes.
The meniscus degeneration pathogenesis is important for understanding and developing new treatment methods; it includes biochemical, structural, and microcirculatory alterations affecting all joint structures. The study aimed to perform in vitro assessment of the effects of standard and photoactivated platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on the IL6, IL17A concentrations, expression of COL2A1 and CD95 apoptosis marker in human meniscus fibrochondrocytes in the IL1β-induced inflammation. The human knee meniscus cartilage tissue was collected from 12 somatically healthy donors aged 18 to 35 years for the experiment. Cells were divided into four groups: the first was intact (control), the second, third, and fourth ones were exposed to IL1β to induce degenerative alterations; the second one was supplemented with 0.9% NaCl, the third one with donor PRP, and the fourth one with photoactivated PRP. Parameters were determined after 48 h. Statistical analysis was performed in GraphPad Prism 9. The rm-ANOVA was used for related groups. Data were presented as mean ± SD, at p < 0.05. IL6 (79.6 ± 4.3 pg/mL vs. 28.4 ± 2.1 pg/mL), IL17A (42.8 ± 2.5 pg/mL vs. 14.2 ± 1.0 pg/mL), CD95 (28.5 ± 2.2% vs. 6.8 ± 0.7%) levels increased in group II compared to group I; COL2A1 levels decreased from 1.00 ± 0.08 to 0.42 ± 0.0). IL6 levels decreased to 55.1 ± 3.4 pg/mL, IL17A — to 29.4 ± 2.1 pg/mL, CD95 — to 17.2 ± 1.5%, and COL2A1 levels increased to 0.71 ± 0.06 in group III compared to group II. IL6 levels decreased to 38.2 ± 2.6 pg/mL, IL17A — to 18.6 ± 1.7 pg/mL, CD95 — to 9.4 ± 0.8%, and COL2A1 levels increased to 0.94 ± 0.07 (p < 0,05) in group IV compared to group III. Standard PRP has a positive effect on meniscus tissue in vitro after 48 h. The effect is enhanced after the PRP exposure to red light.
Keywords: platelet-rich plasma, meniscus, fibrochondrocytes, PRP, photoactivation, red light, interleukin, COL2A1, CD95