Use of mesenchymal stem cells in osteoarthritis
Keywords:
Articular cartilage, osteoarthritis, tissue engineering, extracellular matrix, mesenchymal stem cellsAbstract
Joint pain is often caused by cartilage degeneration (osteoarthritis), a disease that represents a
serious medical problem affecting an important proportion of adults in Mexico. Almost none of
the current therapies employed to treat cartilage lesions has provided satisfactory results in the
long term because they neither solve the problem nor interrupt the progression of the degenera-
tive process. In the last decades, tissue engineering aimed at achieving cartilage regeneration
has emerged as a promising technique. This is due to recent advances in materials science on
the use of biodegradable and biocompatible implants, which has permitted the development
of artificial extracellular matrices with features very similar to those of native tissue. Scaffolds
of extracellular matrices in combination with transplantation of autologous mesenchymal stem
cells have permitted the restoration of damaged cartilage with a novel technique that offers
a promising avenue for cartilage tissue regeneration. The goal of this review is to provide an
overview of the current knowledge in the field of articular cartilage regeneration based on the
use of extracellular matrix scaffolds and mesenchymal stem cell implants.
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