Title:Overview of Stem Cell Therapy in Intervertebral Disc Disease: Clinical
Perspective
Volume: 18
Issue: 5
Author(s): Ayshe Hajiesmailpoor, Omid Mohamadi, Gholamreza Farzanegan, Payam Emami and Masoud Ghorbani*
Affiliation:
- Applied Biotechnology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Keywords:
Intervertebral disc degeneration, intervertebral disc, stem cell therapy, biological therapy, clinical trial, disc regeneration.
Abstract: Intervertebral Disc Degeneration (IDD) is recognized as an aging process, an important
and most common pathological condition caused by an imbalance of anabolic and catabolic metabolisms
in the Intervertebral Disc (IVD), and leads to changes in the Extracellular Matrix (ECM), impaired
metabolic regulation of Nucleus Pulposus (NP), and increased oxidative stress. IDD is mostly
associated with pain in the back and neck, which is referred to as a type of disability. Pharmacological
and surgical interventions are currently used to treat IDD, but evidence has shown that these
interventions do not have the ability to inhibit the progression of IDD and restore IVD function because
IVD lacks the intrinsic capacity for regeneration. Thus, therapies that rely on a degenerative
cell repair mechanism may be a viable alternative strategy. Biological interventions have been assessed
by attempting to regenerate IVD by restoring ECM and cellular function. Over the past decade,
stem cell-based therapies have been considered, and promising results have been obtained in
various studies. Given this, we reviewed clinical trials and preliminary studies of biological disc
repair with a focus on stem cell therapy-based therapies.