Stem Cell-Based Therapies for Osteoarthritis: From Pre-Clinical to Clinical Applications

Although many surgical and pharmaceutical interventions are currently available for treating osteoarthritis (OA), restoration of normal cartilage function remains inefficient. In fact, because of the absence of vasculature within the articular cartilage (AC), the self-potential for regeneration is very poor. Recently, researchers and clinicians have been focusing on alternative methods for cartilage preservation and repair. It has been shown that AC contains a population of stem cells or progenitor cells, similar to those found in many other adult tissues that are thought to be involved in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis. In the present chapter, we review the current status of stem cells potential in the treatment of early OA and discuss the possible origin of these cells and the role they might have in cartilage repair. We also review the recent progress in the field of chondroprogenitors in cartilage