Published online Nov 26, 2020. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v12.i11.1341
Peer-review started: April 14, 2020
First decision: September 18, 2020
Revised: September 26, 2020
Accepted: October 13, 2020
Article in press: October 13, 2020
Published online: November 26, 2020
Processing time: 222 Days and 13.6 Hours
The potential clinical and economic impact of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy is immense. MSCs act through multiple pathways: (1) as “trophic” cells, secreting various factors that are immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, proangiogenic, proliferative, and chemoattractive; (2) in conjunction with cells native to the tissue they reside in to enhance differentiation of surrounding cells to facilitate tissue regrowth. Researchers have developed methods for the extraction and expansion of MSCs from animal and human tissues. While many sources of MSCs exist, including adipose tissue and iliac crest bone graft, compact bone (CB) MSCs have shown great potential for use in orthopaedic surgery. CB MSCs exert powerful immunomodulatory effects in addition to demonstrating excellent regenerative capacity for use in filling boney defects. CB MSCs have been shown to have enhanced response to hypoxic conditions when compared with other forms of MSCs. More work is needed to continue to characterize the potential applications for CB MSCs in orthopaedic trauma.
Core Tip: The use of stem cell therapies continues to emerge as available therapy for tissue engineering of orthopedic trauma. Compact bone mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been studied for many years and have been found to have a greater orthopedic regenerative capacity compared to other autologous sources. Herein, we describe and review a novel source of MSCs from compact bone and their uses in orthopedic regeneration. This review is best suited for the traumatologist in search of a comprehensive review of this novel sources of MSCs and their potential uses in vitro, in vivo, and clinically.