Intra-articular Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for the Human Joint: A Systematic Review:

Background:Stem cell therapy is emerging as a potential treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) and chondral defects (CDs). However, there is a great deal of heterogeneity in the literature. The indications for stem cell use, the ideal tissue source, and the preferred outcome measures for stem cell–based treatments have yet to be determined.Purpose:To provide clinicians with a comprehensive overview of the entire body of the current human literature investigating the safety and efficacy of intra-articular mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy in all joints.Methods:To provide a comprehensive overview of the current literature, all clinical studies investigating the safety and efficacy of intra-articular MSC therapy were included. PubMed, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for published human clinical trials involving the use of MSCs for the treatment of OA and CDs in all joints. A total of 3867 publications were screened.Results:Twenty-eight studies met the criteria to be included in this review....