The use of stromal vascular fraction (SVF), plateletrich plasma (PRP) and stem cells in the treatment of osteoarthritis: an overview of clinical trials

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major cause of disability across the world, which its prevalence is relatively high
in elder population. Current accepted therapies such as exercise, anti-inflammatory drugs and intraarticular
inoculation of corticosteroids are aimed at controlling symptoms in the affected patients.
Surgical options including arthroplasty, osteotomy and joint replacement are other choices of treatment,
which are invasive and can be applied in case of failure of conventional therapies. In the last
few decades, efforts to treat musculoskeletal diseases are being increasingly focused on regenerative
cellular therapies. Stromal vascular fraction (SVF), which obtained from adipose tissue, contains a
variety of cells include mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and has shown to be effective in cartilage
repair. Autologous blood products such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) act as an adjuvant of surgical
treatment and its intra-articular delivery has shown beneficial effects for OA treatment. Given the efficacy
of such treatment approaches in OA, this paper discusses both preclinical and clinical evidence
with major focus on clinical trials