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In a recent observational study by Heidari et al. (2020), 110 patients (age 42 to 94) underwent a microfragmented adipose tissue (MFAT) injection for knee osteoarthritis. Patients had varying degrees of knee osteoarthritis with most patients having advanced knee osteoarthritis. Over 80% of patients had some degree of joint space narrowing or spurring on x-rays.
A liposuction procedure was performed and processed with the Lipogems system creating a refined microfragmented adipose tissue (MFAT) product that was injected under ultrasound guidance into the knee. The average medial pain score improved from the equivalent of a 7/10 to a 3/10 in intensity, and patients had improved function (using the Oxford Knee Scores). There were no adverse events reported during the intraoperative, recovery or postoperative periods.
In this study, the authors found that 81% of patients had a reduction in pain and improvement in function with a single autologous MFAT procedure with Lipogems. Even patients with higher grades of arthritis demonstrated an improvement in pain and function. The authors concluded that “the results are encouraging and suggest a positive role for intra-articular injection of MFAT as a treatment for knee osteoarthritis.”
What is osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent form of arthritis, and is characterized by chronic progressive degeneration of the articular cartilage of the joint.
What is a mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)?
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are also referred to as mesenchymal stromal cells or medicinal signaling cells. MSCs are thought to be a powerful therapeutic tool against tissue damage and degeneration (Chahla et al, 2016; Herberts et al, 2011; Burke et al, 2016).
Is adipose tissue a potential source of MSCs?
Adipose tissue has been recognized as a reliable and potent source for MSCs (Pittenger, 1999; Buttgereit et al, 2015; Hunter & Bierma-Zeinstra, 2019). Lipogems is FDA-cleared device for processing and same-day injection of adipose.
How does this article advance our knowledge of regenerative medicine?
Given that arthritis is such a prevalent condition and a general desire from patients potentially prevent or delay knee replacement surgery it is important to identify the efficacy of various regenerative procedures.
In this study, adipose-derived MSCs from the Lipogems procedure showed “encouraging and suggest a positive role for intra-articular injection of MFAT as a treatment for knee osteoarthritis” (Heidari et al, 2020).
More information on Lipogems here.
References
Burke J, Hunter M, Kolhe R, Isales C, Hamrick M, Fulzele S. Therapeutic
potential of mesenchymal stem cell based therapy for osteoarthritis.
Clin Transl Med. 2016 Dec;5(1):27.
Buttgereit F, Burmester GR, Bijlsma JW. Non-surgical management of knee
osteoarthritis: where are we now and where do we need to go? RMD Open.
2015 Feb 18;1(1):e00002.7
Chahla J, Dean CS, Moatshe G, Pascual-Garrido C, Serra Cruz R, LaPrade
RF. Concentrated Bone Marrow Aspirate for the Treatment of Chondral
Injuries and Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Systematic Review of
Outcomes. Orthop J Sports Med. 2016 Jan 13;4(1):2325967115625481.
Heidari N, Noorani A, Slevin M, Cullen A, Stark L, Olgiati S, Zerbi A,
Wilson A. Patient-Centered Outcomes of Microfragmented Adipose Tissue
Treatments of Knee Osteoarthritis: An Observational, Intention-to-Treat
Study at Twelve Months. Stem Cells Int. 2020 Aug 4;2020:8881405.
Herberts CA, Kwa MS, Hermsen HP. Risk factors in the development of stem cell therapy. J Transl Med. 2011 Mar 22;9:29.
Hunter DJ, Bierma-Zeinstra S. Osteoarthritis. Lancet. 2019 Apr 27;393(10182):1745-1759.
Pittenger MF, Mackay AM, Beck SC, Jaiswal RK, Douglas R, Mosca JD,
Moorman MA, Simonetti DW, Craig S, Marshak DR. Multilineage potential of
adult human mesenchymal stem cells. Science. 1999 Apr
2;284(5411):143-7.
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