Table 1. Comparative characteristics of the varied sources of MSC therapy for OA knee.
| Sources of MSCs | Ethical consideration | Sources | Significance | Invasiveness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESCs | +++ | Inner cell mass | Totipotent in nature; | − |
| ? Allogenicity | ||||
| BM-MSCs | + | Iliac crest | ↑ Potential to regenerate bone and cartilage; | ++ |
| Easy to isolate stem cells; | ||||
| Auto & allogenicity ++; | ||||
| No culture required | ||||
| AD-MSCs | + | Abdomen, medial aspect of thigh | ↑ potential to regenerate cartilage & soft tissues; | ++ |
| Complex natured to isolate stem cells; | ||||
| Autologous ++; | ||||
| ??? Allogenicity | ||||
| Sy-MSCs | + | Synovium around knee joint | ↑ Potential to regenerate bone and cartilage; | + |
| Auto & allogenicity ++; | ||||
| Culture required for exponentiation | ||||
| En-MSCs | + | Endometrial shedding | Potent to regenerate bone and cartilaginous tissues; | + |
| Allogenicity ++; | ||||
| Culture required | ||||
| Pl-MSCs | + | Amniotic membrane, chorionic plate, chorionic villi, decidua | Pluripotent in nature; | − |
| Difficult to isolate cell mass; | ||||
| ↑ potential to regenerate bone, cartilage & soft tissues; | ||||
| Auto & allogenicity ++ | ||||
| Um-MSCs | ++ | Umbilical cord, Wharton’s jelly | Pluripotent in nature; | − |
| Auto & allogenicity ++; | ||||
| Culture required | ||||
| AF-MSCs | + | Cytotrophoblast, syncytiotrophoblast | Pluripotent in nature; | − |
| Auto & allogenicity ++; | ||||
| Culture required | ||||
| PB-MSCs | + | Circulating mononuclear cells | Enhanced osteogenic and adipogenic potential | + |
+, low; ++, medium; +++, high; −, non-invasive (allogenic); ???, doubtful; ↑, increased. ESCs, embryonic stem cells; BM-MSCs, bone marrow derived MSCs; AD-MSCs, adipose tissue derived MSCs; Sy-MSCs, synovium derived MSCs; En-MSCs, endometrium derived MSCs; Pl-MSCs, placental derived MSCs; Um-MSCs, umbilical derived MSCs; AF-MSCs, amniotic fluid derived MSCs; PB-MSCs, peripheral blood derived MSCs.