Wharton's jelly and osteoarthritis of the knee.

Aratikatla, Adarsh; Maffulli, Nicola; Gupta, Manu; Potti, Ishana A; Potty, Anish G; Gupta, Ashim

Abstract

The existing treatment modalities for knee osteoarthritis (OA) do not actually address the pathology. Biological therapies, including those using material derived from perinatal tissues, represent a ground-breaking approach to alleviating the symptoms of OA of the knee. Current scientific literature published in PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase and Scopus databases. Trials registered in various clinical trial databases. Perinatal tissues including Wharton's jelly (WJ) and associated mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be used for the management of knee OA. The efficacy of WJ and associated MSCs in the management of knee OA is still controversial. The use of WJ and associated MSCs in the management of knee OA is safe and appears to be effective. The present published evidence suggests that WJ tissue and associated MSCs offer an encouraging alternative for the management of knee OA. The published in vitro, preclinical and clinical investigations demonstrate the therapeutic potential of WJ and promote further research in this field to provide symptomatic relief to patients suffering from OA, aiming also to regenerate the osteoarthritic hyaline cartilage, with disease-modifying effects. Future adequately powered randomized controlled trials should be undertaken to establish whether WJ is helpful in the management of OA of the knee. [Abstract copyright: © The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press.]

Citation

Aratikatla, A., Maffulli, N., Gupta, M., Potti, I. A., Potty, A. G., & Gupta, A. (in press). Wharton's jelly and osteoarthritis of the knee. British Medical Bulletin, https://doi.org/10.1093/bmb/ldad030

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 15, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Dec 7, 2023
• Deposit Date: Jan 8, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 8, 2024
• Journal: British medical bulletin
• Print ISSN: 0007-1420
• Electronic ISSN: 1471-8391
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/bmb/ldad030
• Keywords: osteoarthritis, Wharton’s jelly, umbilical cord, knee osteoarthritis, regenerative medicine, perinatal tissue