Abstract

Knee injuries involving ligament, articular cartilage and meniscus are common. The capacity for regeneration and repair of these tissues is limited due to their poor vascularity. Autologous or allogeneic stem cell transplantation has the potential to stimulate healing of these tissues. A number of preclinical studies of stem cell therapy for repair of these injuries have produced promising results. Further clinical trials are needed to test the efficacy of this technique. This paper reviews the development strategies, advances and clinical applications of stem cell therapies that are applicable to knee ligament, articular cartilage and meniscal injuries.

Keywords: Anterior cruciate ligament, articular cartilage, meniscus, mesenchymal stem cells, tissue engineering.