Research progress in the application of mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is the main cause of knee pain and disability in the elderly. KOA is a complex disease that is controlled by a variety of pathogenic factors, including general physical factors such as age, gender, obesity, family history, and mechanical factors, and unfavorable mechanical factors to the knee joint, such as trauma, sports injuries, and daily routines. The prevalence of KOA is related to genetic factors. Currently, conservative treatment has limited effects to this disease, and knee joint replacement is usually associated with many complications. Mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs) were first discovered in the bone marrow and subsequently found in peripheral blood, cord blood, skeletal muscle, heart and adipose tissue, which have high plasticity and pluripotency. The discovery of MSCs provides a new method for the treatment of KOA. Due to its powerful cartilage repair and regeneration function, researchers have conducted a large number of experimental studies on the efficacy, safety and mechanism of MSCs in the treatment of KOA in recent years. In this paper, the above studies presented were systematically reviewed. Key words: Mesenchymal stem cells; Knee osteoarthritis; Application