Treating Cartilage Conditions with Umbilical Cord Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

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According to statistics, approximately 32 million in the United States suffer from painful cartilage disorders that have a profound impact on their ability to perform various daily tasks and activities. Globally, hundreds of millions of people suffer from cartilage disorders and conditions that make performing tasks unbearable.

Over the years, patients have undergone extensive treatment, utilized countless medications, and even gone through surgery in order to help correct these issues. Unfortunately, many patients are still forced to deal with the long-term consequences of these conditions.

More recently, we have seen medical professionals and scientists across the globe turn to the use of umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells in order to effectively treat patients who suffer from cartilage conditions and disorders. The studies that have been performed have proven extremely effective when it comes to helping patients overcome the challenges that they face as a result of these conditions and disorders.

In order to better understand how UCT-MSCs can help patients who suffer from these conditions, it is important to understand more about cartilage conditions, what umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells are, and why they are unique.

What Cartilage Conditions Are Patients Dealing with?

There are a significant number of conditions and diseases that can cause damage to the cartilage tissue. Some of the most common inflammatory rheumatic diseases that patients suffer from include:

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: juvenile idiopathic arthritis is one of the most common types of arthritis that children and teens get. This condition affects the joints and causes inflammation in the ankles, knees, wrists, and elbows of patients. This condition can result in severe joint inflammation and stiffness, which can cause damage to the cartilage in the affected areas.
Rheumatoid Arthritis: Rheumatoid arthritis, often known as RA, is a form of autoimmune and inflammatory disease. This means that the patient's immune system attacks healthy cells in the body inadvertently, resulting in painful swelling and inflammation in the areas of the body that are affected by the disease. The joints are the primary target of RA, and typically more than one joint at a time. As RA progresses, it can destroy the cartilage and bones within the joints.
Gout: Gout is a condition that leads to severe swelling and inflammation in the joints. It is generally caused by a buildup of uric acid crystals within the affected area. Over time, the urate crystals can spill out and cause severe damage to the cartilage in the area between bones in the joints.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: SLE is an autoimmune disease, which means that the body's immune system attacks its own tissues. This leads to widespread inflammation and tissue destruction in the organs that are impacted by the condition. Inflammation caused by lupus can result in the weakening of cartilage and bones near the joints. This damage can progress to lupus arthritis, which is incredibly debilitating.
Seronegative Spondyloarthropathy:This is a family of joint disorders that can cause severe joint pain and inflammation. It can also cause morning stiffness that can last more than an hour and result in functional limitations.

In addition to these and other disorders, patients can suffer overwhelming pain due to the wear and tear that the cartilage may be subjected to during various activities. Although more common in athletes, there are many instances where people suffer from a severe breakdown of cartilage that makes it nearly impossible to utilize the elbows, ankles, hips, or knees.

There are several treatment options that patients who suffer from these and other cartilage conditions can undergo.

What Treatment Options are Available for Cartilage Conditions?

When it comes to treating a cartilage condition, it is critically important to understand that each type of disorder can require a different type of treatment. However, there are some treatments that are routinely prescribed and utilized for patients who suffer from various types of cartilage disorders.

In many cases, patients will be prescribed nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). These medications are designed to decrease inflammation and relieve pain that patients experience. Medications that are commonly prescribed to patients include naproxen, meloxicam, and ibuprofen.

In many cases, surgery may be a viable option. Common surgical procedures that patients undergo include drilling, microfracture, abrasion arthroplasty, Osteochondral allograft transplantation, Osteochondral autograft transplantation, and Matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation.

More recently, numerous medical professionals and doctors are turning to the use of umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells as a method for treating cartilage disorders and conditions. Thus far, the use of these stem cells and clinical trials studying the efficacy of the treatment has proven incredibly promising when it comes to this potentially breakthrough method of treatment for patients who suffer from cartilage conditions.

What are Umbilical Cord Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells?

Mesenchymal stem cells obtained from umbilical cord tissue, also known as umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UCT-MSCs), are a type of adult stem cell that is typically separated from the tissues found within the umbilical cord. In particular, scientists have been isolating UCT-MSCs from Wharton's jelly, which is a viscous substance that serves the purpose of preserving the umbilical cord.

These stem cells are exceptional when it comes to treating various health conditions due to their unique ability to differentiate into various types of cells, including:

Adipocytes
Osteoblasts
Chondrocytes
Hepatocytes
Myocytes

UCT-MSCs also have significant anti-inflammatory qualities, which make them a prospective therapeutic alternative when it comes to treating several types of conditions and disorders, including autoimmune illnesses. These characteristics make UCT-MSCs a profound treatment option for patients suffering from cartilage disorders and conditions. Furthermore, UCT-MSCs are considered ethical due to the fact that their use does not have any impact on human life. Overall, these factors all make UCT-MSCs the most promising treatment available right now.

Using UCT-MSCs to Treat Cartilage Conditions

When it comes to addressing cartilage disorders, it is crucial to understand that the majority of cases involve severe inflammation and the breakdown of cartilage tissues. Umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells and their exceptional ability to differentiate into various cells while combating inflammation make them an incredible option when it comes to helping patients who suffer from these disorders. Time after time again, we have seen various studies surrounding the use of UCT-MSCs to treat patients who suffer from various conditions with promising results.

A study in 2016 demonstrated that mesenchymal stem cells worked incredibly well for regenerating cartilage in patients who suffer from various osteoarthritic conditions.

Another breakthrough study published in 2019 about the use of umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells in rabbit temporomandibular joint models of osteoarthritis also showed promising results. This study clearly demonstrated that patients who were injected with mesenchymal stem cells showed fewer surface changes and a dramatic reduction in the loss of proteoglycans. The study also clearly demonstrated that subjects injected with the MSCs showed far fewer lesions on the affected areas. Furthermore, the study determined that umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells were effective when it came to suppressing inflammation in patients who suffer from these chronic conditions.

Another study published in 2020 found that mesenchymal stem cells provided an amazing remedy for both bone and cartilage defects. This study focused on various skeletal disorders that caused joint and cartilage problems for patients. This study revealed how effective these mesenchymal stem cells work in regenerating damaged tissues and reducing inflammation.

In 2021, a study surrounding the use of mesenchymal stem cells to treat osteoarthritis in patients was published in China. This study positively concluded that the use of stem cell-based therapy to treat this condition provided great potential in promoting the regeneration of chondrocytes while differentiating into cartilage.

In 2022, a group of scientists out of the United States conducted a series of seven studies involving 385 patients who suffered from osteoarthritis and were provided human umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cell injections with a follow-up at 24 months post-injection. These studies demonstrated no adverse reactions in patients. They positively demonstrated dramatic improvements in the overall VAS, subjective IKDC, WOMAC, and macroscopic ICRS scores among patients.

All of the positive findings in these studies prove that umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells are truly a profound method for treating patients who suffer from various cartilage disorders in the United States and across the world. Not only are umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells profoundly helpful in helping humans overcome various types of cartilage disorders and conditions, but they are also proven effective in helping animals who suffer from many of the same problems.

Furthermore, treating cartilage conditions with umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells is an incredibly promising therapy that shows potential both in the short term, as well as the long term. The use of UCT-MSCs as an alternative method to therapy and surgery has shown promising results as it provides a glimpse into a future where debilitating and painful cartilage conditions can be treated in safer and less invasive ways than ever before, providing relief for millions of patients and improving their overall quality of life.

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