Stem Cell Applications in Orthopedics
Büşra Burcu Rodop1, Ejder Saylav Bora2, Oytun Erbaş1
1ERBAS Institute of Experimental Medicine, Illinois, USA & Gebze, Türkiye
2İzmir Atatürk Research and Training Hospital Emergency Medicine, İzmir, Türkiye
Keywords: Bone defect, cartilage degeneration, regeneration, spinal cord injury, stem cell, tendon injury.
Abstract
Various cells with the ability to differentiate sequentially and form tissues are formed for the formation of a new organism with the fertilization of the egg and sperm. At the same time, stem cells, with their differentiation, self-renewal, and renewal capacity, are a promising therapeutic field for the regeneration of tissue damage resulting from disease, providing immunological advantages. Stem cell applications are available in many orthopedic problems, ranging from osteoporosis to ligament injuries. However, while the most common mesenchymal stem cells and their varieties are applied in this field, studies have also been conducted with embryonic stem cells, pluripotent stem cells, and muscle-derived stem cells. When stem cell applications performed in various animal models and clinical studies are evaluated, bone formation and an increase in bone mineral density in bone-related problems, successful healing in union; cartilage regeneration and pain relief in cartilage; myelination of damaged neurons, functional improvement, improvement in various scores in spinal cord injuries; tendon healing in tendon injuries; successful results in rotator cuff lesions; regeneration and quality healing in ligament injuries; regenerative effect in meniscopathy; an increase in the extracellular matrix and disc structure-like formation in intervertebral disc degeneration; femoral head healing in femoral head osteonecrosis were observed. In this chapter, emphasizing the section on stem cell applications in orthopedics, it is highlighted that stem cells can be a therapeutic option for orthopedic problems due to their renewal and differentiation properties suitable for the characteristics of the region where they are transplanted.
Cite this article as: Rodop BB, Bora ES, Erbaş O. Stem Cell Applications in Orthopedics. JEB Med Sci 2024;5(1):112-124.
The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.
The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.