Role of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis in Elderly Females – Pilot Study

Abstract

Knee Osteoarthritis (OA) is considered the leading cause of musculoskeletal disability in the elderly population worldwide. The incidence of knee Osteoarthritis (OA) increases by age and further increase with longer lifetime and higher average weight of the population. The economic costs of knee (OA) are high, including those related to treatment, individuals and their families who must adapt their lives and homes to the disease, and those due to lost work productivity. MSCs isolated from a variety of adult tissues including the bone marrow, have the capacity to differentiate into different cell types such as bone and cartilage and have therefore attracted scientific interest as possible therapeutic tools and hold promise for cartilage regeneration. This thesis was conducted to determine the role of intra-articular injection of BMSCs in management of knee osteoarthritis among elderly females. It is a pilot study conducted on 4 subjects 60 yrs & older, Recruited from Ain Shams University Hospitals. MSCs were aspirated from bone marrow of the patients harvested and re-injected into both knees in the same session. The current study showed no changes in BMI pre and post injection. There was also no difference as regard ADL pre and post injection. In the current study, the reduction in TUAG post injection was more improvement in (case 1 & 3) than in (case 2). In our study, concerning Functional pain scale, There was more improvement in (case 1 & 3) in comparison with (case 2). As regard KOOS, two cases (cases 1& 3) had moderate basal grade and showed more improvement in all parameters than (case 2). According to Kellgren-Lawrence Grading Scale, cases (cases 1& 3) were having grade II knee OA which improved to grade I knee OA. Case 2 was having grade III knee OA that not improved after stem cells injection. The MRI follow up of (case 1 & 3) showing a regressive course of the knee osteoarthritis manifested through the increase in cartilage thickness in all compartments in both knees.