Author(s): Li Xie, Xin Wang, and Shuanhu Zhou
Osteoarthritis (OA) affects several hundred million people and is one of the leading causes of disability around the world. Aging is the most influential risk factor for developing OA. Cartilage has a limited ability to spontaneously heal; therefore, it needs surgical intervention in case of cartilage defects caused by traumatic injury or degenerative disease. Due to the shortage of autologous chondrocytes and autografts that require additional defects, adult human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), the precursors of chondrocytes, become possible options for cartilage regeneration in traumatic and Osteoarthritic cartilage defects.