Transferring Mesenchymal Stem Cells to the Osteoarthritic Cartilage: Translating Science to Medicine

Author Info

J Agilinko A Yoong Bertrand Agilinko Mohammad Hasan Daniele Fanelli

Corresponding Author

J Agilinko
Hospitals London NHS East and Central, England, UK

A B S T R A C T

Osteoarthritis (OA) is associated with loss of the phenotypic stability of affected joints. Due to its avascular nature, biomechanical properties of the cartilage tissue in a synovial joint are particularly compromised as the disease progresses. Current therapies for OA merely buy time until arthrodesis or arthroplasty, the ‘end game’, is ultimately reached. Over the last two decades, promising experimental data has started to emerge on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as candidate cell types for cell and/ or tissue-based cartilage tissue repair. The principal attraction of MSCs lies in their consistent chondrogenic differentiation and proliferative propensities. Practically, they offer ease of isolation and culture-expansion. Targeted gene therapy can further enhance their delivery into osteoarthritic joints. Henceforth, understanding the biological activities and mechanisms of action of MSCs is crucial for a rational approach to their clinical application in osteoarthritic joints.

Article Info

Article Type

Review Article

Publication history

Received: Wed 09, Sep 2020
Accepted: Sat 17, Oct 2020
Published: Fri 30, Oct 2020

Copyright

© 2023 J Agilinko. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Hosting by Science Repository.
DOI: 10.31487/j.SCR.2020.10.04