Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a very common rheumatic disease that is characterized by cartilage destruction and joint inflammation and leads to significant pain and disability. Various treatment strategies have been proposed for repairing the cartilage damage brought on by OA, but current therapies only alleviate OA symptoms and do not cure the disease. Recently, mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)–based therapies have been proposed and evaluated for treating this disease. In one approach, tissue engineering strategies have been employed to induce the differentiation of MSCs into chondrocytes and generate cartilage tissue upon implantation. While this approach initially aimed to fill focal chondral defects, it was anticipated that it might also delay the development of OA. More recently, a second approach has been considered and relies on the trophic properties of MSCs to stimulate endogenous cartilage regeneration and/or suppress inflammation. In the present review, we aim to provide an update on recent developments in MSC-based therapeutic strategies for OA and a discussion of existing challenges.