Advances in stem cells research concerning tissue-engineered meniscus / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Meniscus cartilage injury is a most common injury of knee joint. In the past decade, stem cell based therapies have been widely applied, and the related studies have been increased rapidly. Pluripotent stem cells have been shown to exist in the meniscus, which may play a key role in the healing of meniscus.OBJECTIVE: To determine the source and culture conditions of stem cells related to tissue-engineered meniscus, and to understand the current development status of tissue-engineered meniscus. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, EBSCO, Cochrane library, and Clinical library databases were retrieved for relevant articles published between 2009 and 2019. The articles concerning tissue-engineered meniscus and selection of seed cells were selected, and finally 64 eligible articles were included for analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Stem cells have been extensively used as seed cells in tissue-engineered meniscus due to its high proliferation ability and multipotent property. These cells can effectively repair the meniscus in animals, but the clinical outcomes still remain unclear. Therefore, there is a certain distance from basic research to clinical application.