Published online Jan 26, 2016. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v8.i1.1
Peer-review started: August 24, 2015
First decision: October 13, 2015
Revised: December 4, 2015
Accepted: December 18, 2015
Article in press: December 21, 2015
Published online: January 26, 2016
Processing time: 150 Days and 15.3 Hours
Core tip: Since their first identification, bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) have attracted the attention for their potential therapeutic use in tissue engineering and biomedical regenerative therapies. In particular, BMP2 and BMP7 have been successfully used in the treatment of a number of cartilage and bone defects, although these strategies present a certain number of concerning side effects. Also in the field of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) biology there is a continually growing interest, especially in the regulation of their differentiation, and in demonstrating their utility in tissue engineering. The review focuses on the current knowledge of BMP physiological roles in MSC biology and differentiation capacities. In particular it highlights the potentialities of the concomitant clinical use of BMPs and MSCs in cartilage and bone tissue repair.