ReviewMuscles (Basel, Switzerland)2026
Advancing Sports Injury Treatment Through Cell-Free MSC-Based Therapies: A Narrative Review.
Review in Muscles (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSports-related musculoskeletal injuries, including tendon, ligament, muscle, and cartilage damage, often heal slowly and incompletely. Current treatments may not fully restore tissue function, necessitating regenerative therapies.
objectiveThis study was conducted to review the therapeutic potential of stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) and conditioned medium (CM) as cell-free approaches to treating musculoskeletal injuries in sports medicine.
methodsA narrative review of preclinical and early clinical studies investigating the biological mechanisms and regenerative effects of mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC)-derived EVs and CMs published between 2019 and 2026 was performed by searching Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google scholar.
resultsEVs and CMs contain bioactive molecules, including microRNAs, cytokines, and growth factors, that modulate inflammation, promote tissue repair, enhance angiogenesis, and support extracellular matrix remodeling. Preclinical studies demonstrate improved healing of tendons, ligaments, muscles, and cartilage, while early clinical evidence suggests favorable safety and promising therapeutic outcomes. However, the variety of MSC sources, EV separation methods, characterization procedures, and treatment protocols present major challenges in determining the reliability and therapeutic efficacy of these therapies. Notably, the number of clinical studies on EV and CMs is still limited, and most of the available studies are in vitro studies.
conclusionsMSC-derived EVs and CMs represent promising cell-free regenerative therapies for sports-related musculoskeletal injuries. The available evidence, which demonstrates their ability to enhance healing while avoiding the challenges associated with cell-based therapies, highlights their translational potential. However, most of the studies that are now available are preclinical or early-stage clinical studies, and there is still a limited number of clinical trials. Further well-designed clinical studies are needed to establish standardized protocols and confirm long-term safety.
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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.