Intra-articular injections of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a treatment for hemophilic arthropathy

ABSTRACT

Intraarticular (IA) injections of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in idiopathic osteoarthritis (OA) have shown encouraging results in the literature. Hemophilic arthropathy (HA) represents an enormous societal burden. The similarity between OA and HA is very limited. HA resembles much more to the rheumatoid arthritis because a presence of thick synovial membrane and large lymphocytes infiltration. However, in its final stages, HA resembles OA and that is when IA injections of MSCs are commonly used. In this article, we review the concept of IA injections of MSCs as a treatment for HA, using the literature on OA as an example. Regarding HA, only two experimental studies have been reported to date. Such studies stated that IA injections of MSCs appear to be efficacious for decreasing pain in patients with OA and HA. The use of IA injections of MSCs is thus a promising therapeutic modality for treating HA.

KEYWORDS:

• Hemophilia
• arthropathy
• injections
• intraarticular
• MSCs

Declaration of interest

The author has no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.