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The Role of MSCs for Nonsurgical Treatment of OA

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Cartilage Restoration

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, representing a social and economic burden worldwide. The scarce efficacy of the traditional conservative treatments is among the main reasons for the increasing demand of knee and hip replacement, as well as for the increasing interest for stem cell-based treatments, due to their anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and regenerative potential and to their ability to influence positively the articular environment.

Among adult stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells or, as more recently proposed, also known as medicinal signaling cells (MSCs), are the most widely used in the OA context. MSCs are mainly derived from bone marrow and adipose tissue and can be used either expanded or freshly isolated. On average, the current literature shows very promising results deriving from injective treatment with MSCs, although some data are still conflicting in terms of the best cell type, dose, and duration of the therapeutic effect.

In this chapter, we will describe the main variables that can be considered when designing a MSC-based therapy in the context of OA treatment and will provide an updated report of the studies focusing on the intraarticular injection of MSCs for the nonsurgical treatment of this pathology.

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Abbreviations

ASA:

Amniotic suspension allograft

ASCs:

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells

BMC:

Bone marrow concentrate

BMSCs:

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells

HA:

Hyaluronic acid

IFP-MSC:

Infrapatellar fat pad-derived mesenchymal stem cell

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

MSC:

Mesenchymal stem cell

OA:

Osteoarthritis

PRP:

Platelet-rich plasma

SVF:

Stromal vascular fraction

VAS:

Visual analog scale

WOMAC:

Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cell and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, IRCCS Galeazzi Orthopedic Institute, Milan, Italy

    Silvia Lopa & Matteo Moretti

  2. Regenerative Medicine Technologies Lab, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC), Lugano, Switzerland

    Matteo Moretti

  3. Swiss Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Lugano, Switzerland

    Matteo Moretti

  4. Orthopedic Biotechnology Laboratory, IRCCS Galeazzi Orthopedic Institute, Milan, Italy

    Laura de Girolamo

Authors
  1. Silvia Lopa
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  2. Matteo Moretti
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  3. Laura de Girolamo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Laura de Girolamo .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. OrthoIndy Knee Preservation and Cartilage Restoration Center of Indiana, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

    Jack Farr

  2. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, New York, USA

    Andreas H. Gomoll

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Lopa, S., Moretti, M., de Girolamo, L. (2018). The Role of MSCs for Nonsurgical Treatment of OA. In: Farr, J., Gomoll, A. (eds) Cartilage Restoration. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77152-6_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77152-6_14

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