Mesenchymal stem cell therapy for osteoarthritis

The versatility of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a treatment modality has landed it another repair target: osteoarthritis, a crippling cartilage disease that frequently afflicts the aged population. Through many studies, this newly discovered method has been shown to significantly alleviate the pain experienced by osteoarthritic patients. Notwithstanding the effectiveness of MSCs in this regard, varying degrees of success rates have also been reported, which is probably attributable to the different approaches adopted in harnessing MSCs’ therapeutic value. Accordingly, it is pertinent to understand the contributory factors like MSC type, dosage, size of osteoarthritic lesion, MSC carrier, and mode of infusion, which would be briefly discussed in this review.