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Regenerative medicine, particularly cell-based therapies, presents a promising therapeutic strategy. This study evaluates the comparative efficacy of two biomaterials\u2014hyaluronic acid (HA) and alginate\u2014as carriers for nucleus pulposus (NP) cell transplantation in a beagle model of induced disc degeneration. NP cells were isolated, cultured, and injected with either HA or alginate into degenerated discs, with saline and non-cell-loaded carriers used as controls. Disc height index, T2-weighted MRI, and histological analyses were conducted over a 12-week follow-up period to assess reparative outcomes. Imaging revealed that both carrier and cell-loaded treatments improved outcomes compared to degenerative controls, with cell-loaded carriers consistently outperforming carrier-only treated discs. Histological assessments supported these findings, showing trends toward extracellular matrix restoration in both treatment groups. While both biomaterials demonstrated reparative potential, HA showed greater consistency in supporting NP cells in promoting disc regeneration. These results underscore HA\u2019s potential as a superior carrier for NP cell-based therapies in addressing disc degeneration.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/cells13231984","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,2]],"date-time":"2024-12-02T06:58:58Z","timestamp":1733122738000},"page":"1984","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Alginate vs. Hyaluronic Acid as Carriers for Nucleus Pulposus Cells: A Study on Regenerative Outcomes in Disc Degeneration"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Shota","family":"Ogasawara","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara 259-1193, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5489-2591","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jordy","family":"Schol","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara 259-1193, Japan"},{"name":"Center for Musculoskeletal Innovative Research and Advancement (C-MiRA), Tokai University Graduate School, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara 259-1193, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4189-9270","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daisuke","family":"Sakai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara 259-1193, Japan"},{"name":"Center for Musculoskeletal Innovative Research and Advancement (C-MiRA), Tokai University Graduate School, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara 259-1193, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Takayuki","family":"Warita","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"TUNZ Pharma Corporation, Osaka 541-0046, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Takano","family":"Susumu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, Tokai University Hospital, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara 259-1193, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yoshihiko","family":"Nakamura","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"TUNZ Pharma Corporation, Osaka 541-0046, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kosuke","family":"Sako","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara 259-1193, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5384-8158","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shota","family":"Tamagawa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine for Orthopaedics and Motor Organ, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Erika","family":"Matsushita","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara 259-1193, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hazuki","family":"Soma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"TUNZ Pharma Corporation, Osaka 541-0046, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4049-7325","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Masato","family":"Sato","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara 259-1193, Japan"},{"name":"Center for Musculoskeletal Innovative Research and Advancement (C-MiRA), Tokai University Graduate School, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara 259-1193, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9038-0446","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Masahiko","family":"Watanabe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara 259-1193, Japan"},{"name":"Center for Musculoskeletal Innovative Research and Advancement (C-MiRA), Tokai University Graduate School, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara 259-1193, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"17","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drudis.2021.09.001","article-title":"Durable cell and gene therapy potential patient and financial impact: US projections of product approvals, patients treated, and product revenues","volume":"27","author":"Young","year":"2022","journal-title":"Drug Discov. 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