Comparison of Two ASC-Derived Therapeutics in an In Vitro Osteoarthritis Model: Secretome Versus Extracellular Vesicles

The study compared the therapeutic potential of adipose-derived stem cell secretome (ASC-CM) and extracellular vesicles (ASC-EV) in an in vitro osteoarthritis (OA) model. ASC-CM demonstrated a higher therapeutic potential than ASC-EV, significantly reducing matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity and PGE2 expression, which are associated with inflammation and cartilage damage. ASC-CM contained higher levels of tissue inhibitors of MMPs, contributing to its effectiveness. Both treatments reduced the hypertrophic marker COL10A1, but ASC-CM showed more pronounced anti-inflammatory and anti-catabolic effects. The findings suggested that ASC-CM could be a promising cell-free therapeutic option for OA management.