Using UCT-MSCs to Improve Joint Functions

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Arthritis and other chronic joint conditions impact the lives of millions of people across the United States. Approximately one in every four adults, nearly 2%, with arthritis report experiencing severe joint problems associated with their disease. Unfortunately, there are multiple other joint conditions that impact the function of various joints in the body. Globally, more than 350 million people suffer from arthritis and various other joint related diseases.

Dealing with a chronic joint disease can impact a person’s quality of life in a variety of ways. Experiencing ongoing pain and suffering is not an enjoyable way to live. Unfortunately, millions of people across the globe are having to live with these debilitating conditions.

What are Joint Diseases?

In general, the term arthroplasty is used to describe any disease that affects the joints. Common conditions that patients suffer from include:

Charcot Joint: This is a chronic condition that is the result of joint deterioration caused by nerve damage. This is generally a common complication of diabetes. Most patients who suffer from this condition experience its effects in the feet.

Arthritis: This condition, which is also chronic, causes severe swelling and extreme tenderness in one or more joints of the body. Patients who have arthritis experience joint stiffness and pain. This condition typically worsens as people grow older. Common types of arthritis that patients suffer from include:

Ankylosing spondylitis
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Osteoarthritis
Psoriatic arthritis
Reactive arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Septic arthritis
Thumb arthritis

Gout: This is an incredibly complex form of arthritis that can affect any person. This condition is characterized by sudden and severe swelling, pain, tenderness, and redness in the affected joints. This condition affects the big toe in patients most often. However, it can affect any joint in the body.

Diabetic hand syndrome: This condition, also known as diabetic cheiroarthropathy, is a stiffness within the joints. In most cases, patients experience this condition in the small joints of their hands. As a result of stiff hand syndrome, patients may experience thickening or waxy skin. Patients who suffer from this condition may have limited finger movements. The shoulders, ankles, and feet may also be affected by this disease.

Bursitis: This is a chronic and painful disease that impacts the bursae near the joints. These small and fluid-filled sacs function to provide a cushion between the tendons, bones, and muscles. When the bursae become inflamed, it becomes a painful condition called bursitis.

In addition to these conditions, patients may also suffer injury to their joints as a result of overuse or accidents. Injuries to the joint can be acute, which are sudden injuries to specific joints, or overuse, which generally happens over time and is caused by placing too much stress on the affected joint and repeatedly.

Symptoms of Joint Diseases

No matter what type of joint condition or disease a person suffers from, the symptoms are typically the same. Common signs and symptoms of joint diseases include:

Pain: Patients will experience pain, which can be severe, in the affected area. In some instances, patients may experience inflammation, which can increase the level of pain they experience.
Stiffness: Patients who suffer from joint conditions often have difficulties utilizing the joints effectively. Bending the affected joint can become more difficult or impossible. This can dramatically decrease the range of motion that a patient has in the affected area.
Swelling: Patients who suffer from joint diseases may experience swelling. In general, the swelling that patients experience may come in waves or flares. In general, when the joint is swollen, the level of pain is generally amplified.
Redness: When a patient is experiencing chronic inflammation in the affected joint, it can be red and warm to the touch.

When it comes to combating these and other symptoms associated with joint diseases and injuries, there are several treatment options available to help.

Treatment for Joint Conditions

Patients who suffer from joint function diseases and injuries often have several treatment options available to help them. The type of treatment that a patient receives will generally depend upon the condition that they are affected by.

In general, some medications may be used. For conditions like bursitis, patients may be administered antibiotics and pain relievers. With other conditions, such as arthritis, patients may be provided nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). This type of medication is designed to reduce inflammation and relieve some of the pain associated with the disease. Patients may also utilize various creams and ointments that have capsaicin in them. These treatments are known as counterirritants.

In some cases, patients may be administered disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). These medications are designed to slow the progression of arthritic joint diseases, particularly rheumatoid arthritis, and preserve the joints and tissues from suffering permanent damage.

Additional treatment options that patients can undergo include physical therapy and exercise to strengthen muscles and improve the affected area, injections, such as corticosteroid drug injections, and the use of walking devices or other medical devices to help relieve pressure on the affected area.

In severe cases, patients may have to undergo surgery. These surgeries can include joint repair, joint replacements, or joint fusions.

There is a promising new possibility for treatment for joint-related conditions and diseases, and that is umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

What are Umbilical Cord Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells?

Umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells, also known as UCT-MSCs, are a type of adult stem cell that are typically isolated from the tissues that are located within the umbilical cord. The most common location that these cells are isolated from is the Wharton’s jelly. This is a viscous substance that is used to preserve and protect the umbilical cord.

This type of stem cell is generally considered more ethical due to the fact that none of the donors have to die for it to be utilized. These stem cells are not taken out of aborted embryos. Instead, they are removed from the umbilical cords, typically after birth.

Umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells are especially unique. For one, they have significant anti-inflammatory qualities. This makes them a reliable alternative when it comes to treating various disorders, including many that affect the joints in humans and various types of animals, such as dogs, camels, and horses.

In addition, these stem cells have the ability to differentiate into a wide variety of cells within the recipient subject. These cells include:

Myocytes
Osteoblasts
Chondrocytes
Adipocytes
Hepatocytes

It is undeniable that the positive qualities of umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells makes them a truly promising treatment for patients who suffer from various conditions that affect the joints.

Using UCT-MSCs to Treat Joint Diseases and Improve Function

Over the years, we have seen several studies surrounding the use of umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells to treat various types of joint diseases. The use of these injections have proven effective when it comes to treating various conditions that people and animals suffer from.

One notable study published in 2019 on the use of UCT-MSCs for osteoarthritis in dogs shows promising results when it comes to the safety and efficacy of utilizing this treatment. The study, which focused on 55 dogs, found significant improvements one month after the injections. Follow-up studies at three months and six months also showed positive changes and improvements in the affected areas. Additionally, some indexed HVAS scores of the treated group dramatically improved, whereas no improvements were observed in the placebo group.

Another study published in 2011 surrounding the use of umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells to treat patients who suffer from joint pathologies found that the multilineage differentiation potential and their role as immunomodulators were extremely effective qualities in improving the patients’ condition. This study found that the use of UCT-MSCs were effective in helping to reduce inflammation and regenerate damaged tissues within the affected joints.

Finally, another study published in 2022 surrounding the use of umbilical cord tissue mesenchymal stem cells to reduce inflammation and osteoarthritis proved to be incredibly promising. This study determined that the use of these mesenchymal stem cells was effective in reducing cartilage degradation in patients who suffer from osteoarthritis. Furthermore, the study determined that the use of these stem cells greatly reduced inflammation and improved the overall function of the affected joints.

Given the exceptional ability of reducing inflammation that umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells have, it is no surprise that these stem cells are incredibly useful when it comes to helping combat joint conditions and diseases. Studies surrounding the use of stem cells in both human and animal subjects have provided profound insight as to how beneficial this treatment truly is.

Without a doubt, the use of umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells has been proven to effectively treat joint diseases and improve joint function. This procedure is safe, and can significantly reduce symptoms like pain and inflammation. It also promotes the healing of damaged tissues while decreasing the amount of time it takes for a patient to recover from their injury or illness. For anyone that is suffering from a severe joint disease, this method may provide them with an alternative treatment option worth looking into.

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