In Depth About Regenerative Therapy | Regen Colorado

The Role of Unhealthy Joint Tissues in Osteoarthritis, and the Role of Stem Cells in the Cure

We now know that osteoarthritis (OA) is much more than just wear and tear. There are numerous maladaptive changes to a joint with OA. An osteoarthritic joint is besieged with substances that eat away at healthy hyaline (joint) cartilage. These are certain matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and interleukins secreted from the synovium (joint lining) of an arthritic joint. In addition, the native long chain hyaluronic acid molecules that help normalize and lubricate healthy joints is chopped into smaller, less effective pieces. In addition, the bone under the hyaline cartilage (subchondral bone) is inflammatory and structurally abnormal, and results in increased breakdown of hyaline cartilage because it is inflammatory and because it is not as good at absorbing and dissipating forces such as the force across the cartilage from walking or running. Here is a corroborating December 2017 article on the overall research and clinical benefits of stem cell therapy.

The link will take you to the full article:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5745427/

If you dont have time for the entire article, here is the abstract:

World J Orthop. 2017 Dec 18;8(12):853-860. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v8.i12.853. eCollection 2017 Dec 18.

Paschos NK1, Sennett ML2.

Author information

Abstract

Cartilage disorders, including focal cartilage lesions, are among the most common clinical problems in orthopedic practice. Left untreated, large focal lesions may result in progression to osteoarthritis, with tremendous impact on the quality of life of affected individuals. Current management strategies have shown only a modest degree of success, while several upcoming interventions signify better outcomes in the future. Among these, stem cell therapies have been suggested as a promising new era for cartilage disorders. Certain characteristics of the stem cells, such as their potential to differentiate but also to support healing made them a fruitful candidate for lesions in cartilage, a tissue with poor healing capacity. The aim of this editorial is to provide an update on the recent advancements in the field of stem cell therapy for the management of focal cartilage defects. Our goal is to present recent basic science advances and to present the potential of the use of stem cells in novel clinical interventions towards the enhancement of the treatment armamentarium for cartilage lesions. Furthermore, we highlight some thoughts for the future of cartilage regeneration and repair and to explore future perspectives for the next steps in the field.

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In Depth About Regenerative Therapy | Regen Colorado