Effectiveness of AD-MSCs injections for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: Analysis of the current literature.

Introduction: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common pathology and is one of the leading causes of chronic disability among people aged over 65 years old. Currently, cell-based therapies involving intra-articular delivery of MSCs have emerged as a potential treatment solution. The purpose was to examine the current literature regarding the clinical application of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs) for the management of knee OA. The electronic database, PubMed was searched from inception to May 31, 2019. This review included studies using cell population containing AD-MSCs for the treatment of knee OA. Data on clinical outcomes measured by various instrument such as VAS, WOMAC, KSS, KOOS, SF-36 were analysed, while MRI provided reliable and quantitative data on cartilage status throughout most compartments of the knee. A total of eight studies were included. Six studies used cultured AD-MSCs, while two studies used stromal vascular fraction. There were no significant adverse events related to the procedure, while the most of studies reported improvement from baseline in at least one outcome measure. The findings were not necessarily reflected in MRI evaluations nor were improvements always maintained after 2 years follow-up. Our data suggest that the intra-articular injection of autologous AD-MSCs is a safe and effective therapeutic alternative for the treatment of severe knee OA patients and may have the potential to attenuate progression of the disease.