Table 1.
Comparative analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of different stem cell populations used for cartilage regeneration.
| Source | Advantages | Disadvantages | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESCs | Pluripotent Chondrocytes differentiation capacity Synthesis of cartilage ECM |
Difficulty of controlling ESCs differentiation Ethical concerns Risk of immune rejection Risk of teratoma formation |
[99] |
| iPSCs | Pluripotent Chondrocytes differentiation capacity Synthesis of cartilage ECM No ethical concerns |
Complex and expensive iPSC generation procedures Risk of immune rejection Risk of teratoma formation |
[100] |
| BM-MSCS | Multipotent Chondrocytes differentiation capacity Synthesis of cartilage ECM No ethical concerns Low immunogenicity |
Invasive isolation procedure with risk of infection Low isolation yield (about 1 in 1 × 105 cells in the BM) Donor age affects initial yield of isolation and the proliferative and differentiation properties Sign of senescence from passage 4 |
[101] |
| AT-MSCs | Multipotent Chondrocytes differentiation capacity Synthesis of cartilage ECM No ethical concerns Low immunogenicity Isolation yield 500 times more than BM-MSCs |
Invasive isolation procedure with risk of infection Heterogeneity of AT-MSCs extracted from different body sites Sign of senescence from passage 8 |
[101] |
| UC-MSCs | Pluripotent without teratoma formation risk Chondrocytes differentiation capacity Synthesis of cartilage ECM No ethical concerns Low immunogenicity No risk for the donor High isolation yield (about 1 × 104 cells from 1 cm of cord) No sign of senescence or abnormality over 16 passages 300 fold expansions reached within 6-7 passages |
Limited knowledge about the UC-MSCs populations | [102] |
| IPFSCs | Multipotent High chondrogenic potential |
Limited source of tissue (7.5 million cells from 5 g of tissue) | [103] |
| SD-MSCs | Multipotent Higher chondrogenic potential than BM-MSCs Higher colony-forming potential and proliferation rate than BM- and AT-MSCs |
Limited source of tissue (knee: 10.5 ± 8.1 × 103 cells/mg; hip: 3.1 ± 2.2 × 103 cells/mg) | [104] |
AT-MSCs: adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs); BM-MSCs: bone marrow-derived MSCs; ESCs: embryonic stem cells; IPFSCs: infrapatellar fat pad-derived stem cells; iPSCs: induced pluripotent stem cells; UC-MSCs: umbilical cord-derived MSCs; SD-MSCs: synovium-derived MSCs.