Progress in the application of mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of osteoarthritis / 中国实用内科杂志

ABSTRACT

Osteoarthritis(OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by cartilage degeneration, which tremendously affects life quality of the elderly population, and significantly increases the economic cost of public health and welfare. As a member of adult stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs) exhibit specific feature. Over the past few decades, MSCs have become a major focus of interest in the treatment of OA. With the development of cell and tissue engineering, MSCs originating from different tissues such as bone marrow, adipose tissue and synovial tissue has been applied in the repairment of cartilage and joints. Intra-articular injection of MSCs has shown to facilitate the repair of articular cartilage, which significantly alleviates pain and improves joint movement of OA patients. While MSCs in treatment of OA has shown promising results, additional clinical trials and real-world studies are required for further evaluation and optimization of this strategy.