Abstract
Over the past two decades, evidence has emerged for the existence of a distinct population of endogenous progenitor cells in adult articular cartilage, predominantly referred to as articular cartilage-derived progenitor cells (ACPCs). This progenitor population can be isolated from articular cartilage of a broad range of species, including human, equine, and bovine cartilage. In vitro, ACPCs possess mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)-like characteristics, such as colony forming potential, extensive proliferation, and multilineage potential. Contrary to bone marrow-derived MSCs, ACPCs exhibit no signs of hypertrophic differentiation and therefore hold potential for cartilage repair. As no unique cell marker or marker set has been established to specifically identify ACPCs, isolation and characterization protocols vary greatly. This systematic review summarizes the state-of-the-art research on this promising cell type for use in cartilage repair therapies. It provides an overview of the available literature on endogenous progenitor cells in adult articular cartilage and specifically compares identification of these cell populations in healthy and osteoarthritic (OA) cartilage, isolation procedures, in vitro characterization, and advantages over other cell types used for cartilage repair. The methods for the systematic review were prospectively registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020184775).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 2 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-20 |
| Journal | npj Regenerative Medicine |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 10 Jan 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work is supported by the partners of Regenerative Medicine Crossing Borders (RegMed XB), a public–private partnership that uses regenerative medicine strategies to cure common chronic diseases. This collaboration project is financed by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs by means of the PPP Allowance made available by the Top Sector Life Sciences & Health to stimulate public–private partnerships. The research was also supported by the Dutch Arthritis Foundation (LLP-12 and LLP-22). J.V.K. acknowledges ZonMw (The Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development) and the strategic theme “Regenerative Medicine & Stem Cells” of the University Medical Center Utrecht. R.L. acknowledges funding from the European Research Council (Grant Agreement No. 949806) and the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under Grant Agreement No. 814444 (MEFISTO).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).
