Stem cell therapy for degenerative disc diseases：present status and prospects / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:None of the current treatment strategies has been focused on relieving or reversing the disk degeneration process after degenerative disc diseases. In recent years, more and more scientists try to treat degenerative disc diseases using stem cel therapy. OBJECTIVE:To explore the research status and prospects of stem cel therapy for degenerative disc diseases. METHODS: A computer-based online search of PubMed database between January 2004 and December 2014was performed to search related articles with the key words of “stem cel, intervertebral disk” in English. Literatures related to stem cel therapy for degenerative disc diseases were selected; in the same field, the articles published lately in authoritative journals were preferred. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: A total of 342 articles were primarily selected, and 43 articles were involved in result analysis according to inclusion criteria. Stem cel therapy is a newly treatment for degenerative disc diseases. Cels appropriate for stem cel therapy include embryonic stem cels, induced pluripotent stem cels, mesenchymal stem cels, human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cels and chondrocytes or nucleus pulposus cels. Although cel leakage, intervertebral disc infection and tumorigenesis are the main chalenges, stem cel therapy for degenerative disc diseases is promising in the future.