Authors: Matthew J. Keagle, Vincent S. Gallicchio.
The meniscus is a crescent-shaped, fibrocartilaginous padding in the knee that contains variable vascularization and histology. This structure enables proper loadbearing, knee movement, and protection of articular cartilage and bone of the tibiofemoral joint. The meniscus is subject to tears from acute injury and degenerative stresses. Many meniscal tears do not heal naturally due to poor vascularization and high stresses placed on the meniscus. These often result in pain and mechanical symptoms and are highly correlated to osteoarthritis (OA) development. While there are a wide variety of suggested treatments for meniscal tears, studies indicate common surgical interventions have little to no significant improvements in abating patient symptoms or limiting osteoarthritic progression, with high failure rates. Therefore, alternative treatments are being actively explored for meniscal tear repair. One of the most-researched treatment options is using mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), a type of adult multilineage progenitor cell capable of facilitating meniscal tissue regeneration. Many different types of MSCs and supplemental, cuttingedge techniques are being tested to maximize tear healing. MSCs hold great promise for regenerating meniscal tissue, limiting OA, and restoring joint functionality. However, more research is required to prove the significance of stem cell treatments in humans and define the conditions for their use.
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