Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis and Chondral Injury with Umbilical Cord/Wharton’s Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Systematic Review of Safety and Efficacy

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a major cause of pain and disability worldwide, with no current treatment modality able to prevent the progressive destruction of articular cartilage. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have attracted interest in treating KOA and cartilage injury due to their self-renewal and...

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Main Authors: Mohd Ishak-Samrin, Isa Naina-Mohamed, Mohamed S. Zulfarina, S. Fadilah Abdul Wahid, Ahmad Farihan Mohd Don, Norlelawati Mohamad, Muhamad Karbela Reza Ramlan, Akmal Hisham Md Yusoff Badrul
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Journal of Functional Biomaterials
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4983/16/3/84
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author Mohd Ishak-Samrin
Isa Naina-Mohamed
Mohamed S. Zulfarina
S. Fadilah Abdul Wahid
Ahmad Farihan Mohd Don
Norlelawati Mohamad
Muhamad Karbela Reza Ramlan
Akmal Hisham Md Yusoff Badrul
author_facet Mohd Ishak-Samrin
Isa Naina-Mohamed
Mohamed S. Zulfarina
S. Fadilah Abdul Wahid
Ahmad Farihan Mohd Don
Norlelawati Mohamad
Muhamad Karbela Reza Ramlan
Akmal Hisham Md Yusoff Badrul
author_sort Mohd Ishak-Samrin
collection DOAJ
description Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a major cause of pain and disability worldwide, with no current treatment modality able to prevent the progressive destruction of articular cartilage. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have attracted interest in treating KOA and cartilage injury due to their self-renewal and multidirectional differentiation potential, as well as local bioactive factors with immunomodulatory and regenerative potential. This study aimed to evaluate the currently available studies using the intra-articular injection of Wharton’s jelly MSCs for KOA and cartilage injury. We analyzed all clinical trials published from inception to 31 December 2023. Six studies met the inclusion criteria, for a total of 97 patients and 134 knees. The follow-up period ranged from 3 to 48 months. There were no serious adverse effects noted. There was significant improvement in functional outcomes in the form of VAS, WOMAC, KOOS, and IKDC parameters, though radiological outcomes demonstrated mixed results. In conclusion, patients with KOA treated with intra-articular injections of Wharton’s jelly MSCs showed improvements in functional outcomes with no severe adverse effects. Multiple injections of Wharton’s jelly MSCs showed better outcomes compared to single-injection techniques. Wharton’s jelly MSCs may have potential as a cornerstone in the future treatment of KOA.
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spelling doaj-art-fe83edf06eaf4ac3b6dfd23c9bccb5c62025-08-20T01:48:56ZengMDPI AGJournal of Functional Biomaterials2079-49832025-03-011638410.3390/jfb16030084Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis and Chondral Injury with Umbilical Cord/Wharton’s Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Systematic Review of Safety and EfficacyMohd Ishak-Samrin0Isa Naina-Mohamed1Mohamed S. Zulfarina2S. Fadilah Abdul Wahid3Ahmad Farihan Mohd Don4Norlelawati Mohamad5Muhamad Karbela Reza Ramlan6Akmal Hisham Md Yusoff Badrul7Department of Orthopaedic and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 56000, MalaysiaPharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety Unit, Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 56000, MalaysiaPharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety Unit, Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 56000, MalaysiaCell Therapy Center, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 56000, MalaysiaDepartment of Orthopaedic and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 56000, MalaysiaDepartment of Orthopaedic and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 56000, MalaysiaDepartment of Orthopaedic and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 56000, MalaysiaDepartment of Orthopaedic and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 56000, MalaysiaKnee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a major cause of pain and disability worldwide, with no current treatment modality able to prevent the progressive destruction of articular cartilage. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have attracted interest in treating KOA and cartilage injury due to their self-renewal and multidirectional differentiation potential, as well as local bioactive factors with immunomodulatory and regenerative potential. This study aimed to evaluate the currently available studies using the intra-articular injection of Wharton’s jelly MSCs for KOA and cartilage injury. We analyzed all clinical trials published from inception to 31 December 2023. Six studies met the inclusion criteria, for a total of 97 patients and 134 knees. The follow-up period ranged from 3 to 48 months. There were no serious adverse effects noted. There was significant improvement in functional outcomes in the form of VAS, WOMAC, KOOS, and IKDC parameters, though radiological outcomes demonstrated mixed results. In conclusion, patients with KOA treated with intra-articular injections of Wharton’s jelly MSCs showed improvements in functional outcomes with no severe adverse effects. Multiple injections of Wharton’s jelly MSCs showed better outcomes compared to single-injection techniques. Wharton’s jelly MSCs may have potential as a cornerstone in the future treatment of KOA.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4983/16/3/84knee osteoarthritischondral injuryumbilical cordWharton’s jellymesenchymal stem cells
spellingShingle Mohd Ishak-Samrin
Isa Naina-Mohamed
Mohamed S. Zulfarina
S. Fadilah Abdul Wahid
Ahmad Farihan Mohd Don
Norlelawati Mohamad
Muhamad Karbela Reza Ramlan
Akmal Hisham Md Yusoff Badrul
Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis and Chondral Injury with Umbilical Cord/Wharton’s Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Systematic Review of Safety and Efficacy
Journal of Functional Biomaterials
knee osteoarthritis
chondral injury
umbilical cord
Wharton’s jelly
mesenchymal stem cells
title Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis and Chondral Injury with Umbilical Cord/Wharton’s Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Systematic Review of Safety and Efficacy
title_full Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis and Chondral Injury with Umbilical Cord/Wharton’s Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Systematic Review of Safety and Efficacy
title_fullStr Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis and Chondral Injury with Umbilical Cord/Wharton’s Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Systematic Review of Safety and Efficacy
title_full_unstemmed Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis and Chondral Injury with Umbilical Cord/Wharton’s Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Systematic Review of Safety and Efficacy
title_short Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis and Chondral Injury with Umbilical Cord/Wharton’s Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Systematic Review of Safety and Efficacy
title_sort treatment of knee osteoarthritis and chondral injury with umbilical cord wharton s jelly derived mesenchymal stem cells a systematic review of safety and efficacy
topic knee osteoarthritis
chondral injury
umbilical cord
Wharton’s jelly
mesenchymal stem cells
url https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4983/16/3/84
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