Osteoarthritis
(OA) as a common orthopedic disease with cartilage injury as the main pathological feature, has a complex pathogenesis and existing medical technology remains unable to reverse the progression of cartilage degeneration caused by it.In recent years, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and their secreted exosomes have become a focus of research on cartilage regeneration. MSCs have the potential to differentiate into a variety of cells.
Under specific conditions, they can be promoted to differentiate into chondrocytes or maintain chondrocyte function and stability.
Exosomes secreted by MSCs, as intercellular messengers, can treat OA in various ways through bioactive factors they carry, such as proteins, lipids, mRNAs, and miRNAs. This study reviewed the application of MSCs and their exosomes from different sources in the prevention of OA, which provides a new idea for the treatment of OA.
Clinically, a variety of MSCs have high safety factors in the treatment of OA, either alleviating clinical symptoms or promoting cartilage regeneration; however, most of the existing studies on MSCs in the treatment of OA have short follow-up times, small sample sizes and involve few randomized controlled trials, and there is no strong evidence to support particular recommendations. At present, research on the therapeutic effects of MSC-Exos remains at a preliminary stage.
Therapy for cartilage repair with MSC/MSC-Exos involves a wide range of disciplines and requires close cooperation between multiple disciplines to promote its maturity and provide potential benefits to many OA patients.
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