Abstract
Abstract
Objective
Articular cartilage damaged through trauma or disease has a limited ability to repair. Untreated, these focal lesions progress to generalized changes including osteoarthritis. Musculoskeletal disorders including osteoarthritis are the most significant contributor to disability globally. There is increasing interest in the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for the treatment of focal chondral lesions. There is some evidence to suggest that the tissue type from which MSCs are harvested play a role in determining their ability to regenerate cartilage in vitro and in vivo. In humans, MSCs derived from synovial tissue may have superior chondrogenic potential.
Methods
We carried out a systematic literature review on the effectiveness of synovium-derived MSCs (sMSCs) in cartilage regeneration in in vivo studies in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol. Nineteen studies were included in our review; four examined the use of human sMSCs and the remainder were conducted using sMSCs harvested from animals.
Results
Despite the variability of animals, cell harvesting techniques, methods of delivery, and outcome measures, all studies reported successful cartilage repair with sMSC transplantation.
Conclusion
We conclude that sMSC transplantation holds promise as a treatment option for focal cartilage defects. We believe that defining the cell population being used, establishing standardized methods for MSC delivery, and the use of objective outcome measures should enable future high-quality studies such as randomized controlled clinical trials to provide the evidence needed to manage chondral lesions optimally.
Declaration of Interest
(b) declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research reported:I declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research project.
