Therapeutic Potential of Differentiated Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Treatment of Osteoarthritis

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic, progressive, and irreversible degenerative joint disease. Conventional OA treatments often result in complications such as pain and limited activity. However, transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has several beneficial effects such as paracrine effects, anti-inflammatory activity, and immunomodulatory capacity. In addition, MSCs can be differentiated into several cell types, including chondrocytes, osteocytes, endothelia, and adipocytes. Thus, transplantation of MSCs is a suggested therapeutic tool for treatment of OA. However, transplanted naïve MSCs can cause problems such as heterogeneous populations including differentiated MSCs and undifferentiated cells. To overcome this problem, new strategies for inducing differentiation of MSCs are needed. One possibility is the application of microRNA (miRNA) and small molecules, which regulate multiple molecular pathways and cellular processes such as differentiation. Here, we provide insight into possible strategies for cartilage regeneration by transplantation of differentiated MSCs to treat OA patients.

Osteoarthritis and Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy: An Overview

“…Acetaminophen and NSAIDs are the drugs suggested for mild-to-moderate pain [18][19][20]. Acetaminophen is preferred as first-line therapy based on the side-effect …”

“…Opioid analgesics are the drugs suggested for severe OA, as it significantly reduces the intensity of the pain [18,24]. Injection of viscosupplementation such as hyaluronic acid preparations into the knee and hip is widely used for treating OA with its ongoing controversy about the efficacy of the treatment, cost-effectiveness, and benefit-to-risk ratio.…”

“…Cultured autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) is the first generation of non-stem cell therapy, which is widely applied to symptomaticly treat the chondral and osteochondral defects of the knee [18,28,29].…”

“…The range of the sites that can be treated is expanding in many other joints including the elbow, ankle, and at multiple locations in the hand. Despite these advanced techniques, some disadvantages still exist including the incompatibility of prosthetic joints with the functionality of a native joint, high cost for each procedure, and their invasive nature [8,18,[25][26][27].…”

“…profile of NSAIDs that can cause gastrointestinal (GI) discomfort and more importantly serious complications such as peptic ulcers, perforations, and bleeding [18,[21][22][23]. Opioid analgesics are the drugs suggested for severe OA, as it significantly reduces the intensity of the pain [18,24].…”