Why and how to use the body's own stem cells for regeneration in musculoskeletal disorders: a primer

Abstract

Background Recently, the management of musculoskeletal disorders with the patients' own stem cells, isolated from the walls of small blood vessels, which can be found in great numbers in the adipose tissue, has received considerable attention. On the other hand, there are still misconceptions about these adipose-derived regenerative cells (ADRCs) that contain vascular-associated pluripotent stem cells (vaPS cells) in regenerative medicine. Methods Based on our previous publications on this topic, we have developed a concept to describe the significance of the ADRCs/vaPS cells in the field of orthobiologics as briefly as possible and at the same time as precisely as possible. Results The ADRCs/vaPS cells belong to the group of orthobiologics that are based on autologous cells. Because the latter can both stimulate a patient’s body's localized self-healing power and provide new cells that can integrate into the host tissue during the healing response when the localized self-healing power is exhausted, this group of orthobiologics appears more advantageous than cell-free orthobiologics and orthobiologics that are based on allogeneic cells. Within the group of orthobiologics that are based on autologous cells, enzymatically isolated, uncultured ADRCs/vaPS cells have several advantages over non-enzymatically isolated cells/microfragmented fat as well as over uncultured bone marrow aspirate concentrate and cultured cells (adipose-derived stem cells, bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells). Conclusions The use of ADRCs/vaPS cells can be seamlessly integrated into modern orthopedic treatment concepts, which can be understood as the optimization of a process which—albeit less efficiently—also takes place physiologically. Accordingly, this new safe and effective type of treatment is attractive in terms of holistic thinking and personalized medicine.

Safety and Efficacy of Autologous Stem Cell Treatment for Facetogenic Chronic Back Pain

“…The isolation of stem cells from suitable tissue (such as adipose tissue) and their application to other injured tissue and organs can be interpreted as the most gentle and natural approach to help the body in self-repair by increasing the number of stem cells at a location where they are exhausted but most needed. From these considerations, it also becomes clear that stem cell therapy is not only directed to a specific organ, tissue, or disease, but it will take the function of replacing and repairing tissue and organs that suffer from a lack of repair, renewal, and rejuvenation [ 15 , 16 ].…”

“…In degenerative diseases of joints, damage to functional tissue induces an inflammatory process, resulting in pain. It has been shown that painful chronic inflammatory disorders of the musculoskeletal system can successfully be treated by stem cell injection [ 16 ]. Stem cells, in general, often called MSCs in an inflammatory environment, can influence the immune response by altering cytokine secretion from macrophages, dendritic cells, and T-cell subsets, resulting in a shift from a pro-inflammatory to an anti-inflammatory environment.…”

Safety and Efficacy of Autologous Stem Cell Treatment for Facetogenic Chronic Back Pain

“…In degenerative diseases of joints, damage to functional tissue induces an inflammatory process, resulting in pain. It has been shown that painful chronic inflammatory disorders of the musculoskeletal system can successfully be treated by stem cell injection [19]. Stem cells, in general, often called MSCs in an inflammatory environment, can influence the immune response by altering cytokine secretion from macrophages, dendritic and T-cell subsets, resulting in a shift from a pro-inflammatory to an anti-inflammatory environment.…”

Accelerating effect of Shilajit on osteogenic property of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs)

“…In this regard, extensive investigations have been performed on MSC therapy in bone repair alone or in combination with other remedies [ 3 , 4 ]. Interestingly, there are reports showing that adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) are an appropriate source for the treatment of skeletal disorders such as musculoskeletal diseases and shoulder pains [ 5 – 7 ]. Systemic and local administration of allogeneic bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) in rat femoral bone fracture led to an elevation in the callus formation and osteoblast differentiation [ 8 ].…”