RESEARCH ARTICLE


Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Articular Cartilage Repair: Clinical Studies and Future Direction



Shahid Punwar 1, Wasim S Khan*, 2
1 Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Frenchay Hospital, North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol, BS16 1LE, UK
2 University College London Institute of Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore, Middlesex, HA7 4LP, UK


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Creative Commons License
© Punwar and Khan; Licensee Bentham Open.

open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.

* Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Frenchay Hospital, North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol, BS16 1LE, UK; Tel: +44 (0) 7791 025554; Fax: + 44 (0) 7811 942192; E-mail: wasimkhan@doctors.org.uk


Abstract

Cartilage is frequently injured but shows little capacity for repair. Current treatment options include the use of procedures that stimulate repair through the stimulation of subchondral bone marrow and result in the formation of fibrocartilage. There is considerable interest in the use of cell-based treatment strategies and there are limited studies describing the use of mesenchymal stem cells for cartilage repair with promising early results. This paper reviews the current treatment strategies for articular cartilage, describes use of mesenchymal stem cells for articular cartilage repair along with the results of clinical studies, and describes the future direction that these strategies are likely to take.

Keywords: Cartilage repair, chondrogenesis, mesenchymal stem cells, osteoarthritis, tissue engineering.