Zhaleh Shariati Sarabi - Rheumatic Diseases Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Jalil Tavakol Afshari - Immunology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Ali Ghassemi - Department of Bone marrow stem cell transplantation, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Mehdi Yaghobi - Department of Internal medicine, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

The most common disease in the aged population is osteoarthritis (OA) that is resulting in progressive dysfunction following isolated cartilage injuries, subchondral bone remodeling, tissue loss, marginal osteophytes, and loss of joint space. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent stem cells; they are able to produce many or all joint tissues. Bone marrow and adipose tissue are rich sources of mesenchymal cells that are useful for the reconstruction of injured tissues such as bone, cartilage, or cardiac muscle. Recently, some studies have been performed on the use of the direct intra-articular injection of mononuclear cells (MNCs) and MSCs as potential therapeutic targets in OA. In this review, the history of MSCs in the treatment of OA are explained. Injection of Bone Marrow Aspirates Concentrate (BMAC) has significantly improved both joint pain and function in radiologic findings; some studies suggested that the injection would be even more effective in early to moderate phases of OA. Injection of MSCs in combination with growth factors may be better solution for the treatment.

Mesenchymal stem cells, Mononuclear cell, Osteoarthritis