Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30159741›Full record

ReviewKnee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA2019

Injective mesenchymal stem cell-based treatments for knee osteoarthritis: from mechanisms of action to current clinical evidences.

Silvia Lopa, Alessandra Colombini, Matteo Moretti, Laura de Girolamo

Open access · hybridAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 91 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
91citing papers in PubMed, 11 pooled it
10.0field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

91 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 166 citations in OpenAlex.

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  11. Guideline
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  13. Adipose-derived and bone marrow aspirate concentrate injections for osteoarthritis: A scoping review.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation · 2026
    Article
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  18. Analysis ofOrthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2025
    Review
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31 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Silvia LopaCell and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Via R. Galeazzi 4, 20161, Milan, Italy.
Alessandra ColombiniOrthopaedic Biotechnology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Via R. Galeazzi 4, 20161, Milan, Italy.
Matteo MorettiCell and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Via R. Galeazzi 4, 20161, Milan, Italy.
Laura de GirolamoOrthopaedic Biotechnology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Via R. Galeazzi 4, 20161, Milan, Italy. laura.degirolamo@grupposandonato.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9979-3092
Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi · ITSwiss Institute for Regenerative Medicine · CH

Funding

Ministero della Salute Project Line 1, Progressive ID 28Ministero della Salute Project Line 4 Progressive ID 98
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeOsteoarthritis (OA) represents a relevant social and economic burden worldwide. "Mesenchymal stem cells" or, as recently proposed, "medicinal signaling cells" (MSCs) have been recently introduced as injective treatments for OA with the aim of restoring joint homeostasis. The aim of this review is to provide the reader with the tools necessary to interpret the currently available clinical data, focusing on the MSC mechanisms of action which might help to clarify what we should expect from this treatment.

methodsClinical studies reporting MSC injections for the treatment of knee OA, either freshly isolated or culture-expanded cells, have been included and commented in relation to the supposed therapeutic effect that MSCs might exert giving their supposed mode of actions.

resultsThe majority of the studies reports significant improvements in terms of pain and knee function compared to baseline values, up to 24 months of follow-up. Although these data support the expected therapeutic effect of this therapy giving the features of these cells, only 14% of the studies present a control group and more than one-third of them report the results on less than ten patients.

conclusionsDespite the constant presence of positive and satisfactory results in the studies analyzed, the complexity of MSC metabolism and related therapeutic effects as well as the weakness of most of the studies do not allow withdrawing definitive conclusions about the superiority of one tissue source over another, as well as about the best cell dose and the long-term durability of the effects of these procedures. Given the high potential value of these therapies in the treatment of OA, further studies accurately designed, carefully defining the type of patients to be included and pursuing minimal standard requirements in terms of follow-up, number of patients, and types of measurements should be conducted to finally assess the efficacy of MSC-based injective treatments.

Indexed as

HumansInjections, Intra-ArticularKnee JointMesenchymal Stem CellsMesenchymal Stem Cell TransplantationOsteoarthritis, KneeAdipose tissueArticular cartilageBone marrow concentrateInflammationIntra-articular injectionMesenchymal stem cellsOsteoarthritisStromal vascular fraction

Identifiers

PMID30159741
PMCPMC6541568
OpenAlexW2889382187

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.