<p>Patient information.</p>

Mesenchymal stromal cells have been shown to impart a therapeutic benefit on treated tissues through a variety of mechanisms including mitochondrial transfer. Mitochondrial transfer from mesenchymal stromal cells to diseased cells has been demonstrated, in numerous model systems, to increase the survival and function of recipient cells.

To date there are few studies that have investigated mitochondrial transfer from mesenchymal stromal cells to intervertebral disc cells. The goal of this study is to characterize mitochondrial transfer from mesenchymal stromal cells to bovine and human intervertebral disc cells using confocal microscopy. Following a 24-hour coculture period, bovine mesenchymal stromal cells were shown to transfer mitochondria to bovine annulus fibrosus cells under both healthy and inflammatory conditions.