Preclinical and clinical data for the use of mesenchymal stem cells in articular cartilage tissue engineering.
BACKGROUND
With an ageing population, the prevalence of osteoarthritis (OA) has increased. Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) have been proposed to be an attractive alternative candidate in the tissue engineering of articular cartilage primarily due to its abundant source, reduced cartilage donor site morbidity, and strong capacity for proliferation and potential to differentiate toward a chondrogenic phenotype.


METHODS
A current overview of human, in vivo, and in vitro evidence on the use of MSCs in cartilage tissue engineering.


CONCLUSIONS
We demonstrate robust evidence that MSCs have the potential to regenerate articular cartilage. We also identify the complexity of designing a suitable preclinical model and the challenges in considering its clinical application such as type of MSC, scaffold, culture construct and the method by which growth factors are delivered. Of great interest is further characterization of the factors that may prevent MSC-derived chondrocytes to undergo premature hypertrophy and to understand what enables the terminal developmental pathway for permanent hyaline cartilage regeneration. Despite this, there is an abundance of evidence suggesting that MSCs are a desirable cell source and will have significant impact in tissue engineering of cartilage in the future.
Aristotle University Medical School, Academic Orthopaedic and Trauma Unit, University Campus, 54 124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Quen Oak
QO
Tang
Clare Francesca
CF
Carasco
Zakareya
Z
Gamie
Nectarios
N
Korres
Athanasios
A
Mantalaris
Eleftherios
E
Tsiridis
D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D023822:Tissue Engineering