Efficacy and safety of culture-expanded mesenchymal stromal cell therapy in the treatment of 4 types of inflammatory arthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 36 randomized controlled trials

Objective

This study aims to assess the effectiveness and safety of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation in the treatment of inflammatory arthritis.

Methods

Two researchers conducted a comprehensive search of Chinese and English databases from their inception until July 2023. The literature screening and data extraction were then performed. Statistical analysis was carried out using RevMan 5.4 software.

Results

A total of 36 relevant RCTs, involving 2,076 participants, were ultimately included in this study. These RCTs encompassed four types of inflammatory arthritis, namely rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and systemic sclerosis (SSc). The results demonstrated that MSC therapy exhibited improvements in the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain in OA patients (bone marrow: SMD=-0.95, 95 % CI: -1.55 to -0.36, P = 0.002; umbilical cord: SMD=-2.03, 95 % CI: -2.99 to -1.07, P < 0.0001; adipose tissue: SMD=-1.26, 95 % CI: -1.99 to -0.52, P = 0.0009). Specifically, MSCs sourced from adipose tissue showed enhancements in Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) pain (P = 0.0001), WOMAC physical function (P = 0.001), and total WOMAC scores (P = 0.0003). As for MSC therapy in RA, AS, and SSc, the current systematic review suggests a potential therapeutic effect of MSCs on these inflammatory arthritic conditions. Safety assessments indicated that MSC therapy did not increase the incidence of adverse events.

Conclusion

MSCs have the potential to alleviate joint pain and improve joint function in patients with inflammatory arthritis. Moreover, MSC therapy appears to be relatively safe and could be considered as a viable alternative treatment option for inflammatory arthritis.