State Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Disease, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.
Department of Stomatology, Panzhihua Central Hospital, Panzhihua City, Sichuan Province, China.
Curr Stem Cell Res Ther. 2023;18(7):892-903. doi: 10.2174/1574888X17666221006113739.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by the loss of cartilage, which seriously affects the quality of patient's life and may even cause permanent sequelae. The treatment of OA is diversified, mostly limited to relieving clinical symptoms. Less invasive treatments that can cure OA are still lacking. With the rise of tissue-cell engineering, stem cell therapy has gradually aroused great interest in treating OA. Cartilage stem/progenitor cells (CSPCs), a type of stem cell found on the surface of articular cartilage, have many similarities with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). These cells can be isolated and cultured from animals and humans and exist in articular cartilage over the body, such as the knee joint, patellofemoral joint, and temporomandibular joint. Due to their strong proliferative and chondrogenic differentiation abilities, CSPCs may contribute a lot to cartilage regeneration and repair in OA. We will provide an overview of the biological characteristics of CSPCs and their role in OA in combination with the research progress. Despite some existing limitations, CSPCs still offer an innovative idea for OA treatment with great advantages.
骨关节炎（OA）是一种退行性关节疾病，其特征是软骨的丧失，这严重影响了患者的生活质量，甚至可能导致永久性后遗症。OA 的治疗方法多种多样，大多局限于缓解临床症状。缺乏能够治愈 OA 的微创治疗方法。随着组织细胞工程的兴起，干细胞治疗逐渐引起了人们对治疗 OA 的极大兴趣。软骨干细胞/祖细胞（CSPCs）是一种存在于关节软骨表面的干细胞，与间充质干细胞（MSCs）有许多相似之处。这些细胞可以从动物和人类中分离和培养，存在于全身的关节软骨中，如膝关节、髌股关节和颞下颌关节。由于其强大的增殖和软骨分化能力，CSPCs 可能对 OA 中的软骨再生和修复有很大的贡献。我们将结合研究进展，概述 CSPCs 的生物学特性及其在 OA 中的作用。尽管存在一些现有局限性，但 CSPCs 为 OA 治疗提供了一个具有巨大优势的创新思路。
