Potential use of mesenchymal stem cells in human meniscal repair: current insights

Abstract

Jaewoo Pak,1–3* Jung Hun Lee,1,4* Kwang Seung Park,4 Jeong Ho Jeon,4 Sang Hee Lee4 1Stems Medical Clinic, Gangnamgu, Seoul, Republic of Korea; 2TEDA‑Puhua International Hospital, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China; 3Life Science Institute, Komplek Permata Senayan, Jalan Tentara Pelajar, Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia; 4National Leading Research Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Myongji University, Yongin, Gyeonggido, Republic of Korea *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: The menisci of the human knee play an important role in maintaining normal functions to provide stability and nutrition to the articular cartilage, and to absorb shock. Once injured, these important structures have very limited natural healing potential. Unfortunately, the traditional arthroscopic meniscectomy performed on these damaged menisci may predispose the joint toward early development of osteoarthritis. Although a very limited number of studies are available, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been investigated as an alternative therapeutic modality to repair human knee meniscal tears. This review summarizes the results of published applications of MSCs in human patients, which showed that the patients who received MSCs (autologous adipose tissue-derived stem cells or culture-expanded bone marrow-derived stem cells) presented symptomatic improvements, along with magnetic resonance imaging evidences of the meniscal repair. Keywords: adipose tissue-derived stem cells, bone marrow-derived stem cells, human knee, meniscal tear, articular cartilage, therapeutic modality

Keywords

• mesenchymal stem cells
• human knee
• meniscal tear
• repair