Stem cells combined with three-dimensional scaffolds for the treatment of osteoporotic bone defects

Yuan Wei-jian; Wang Chen-yu; Li Chen; Yang Fan; Wang Zhong-han; Li Zu-hao; Qin Yan-guo; Liu He; Wang Jin-cheng

doi:10.3969/j.issn.2095-4344.0788

Abstract：BACKGROUND:Stem cells combined with a three-dimensional scaffold have great potential for the treatment of osteoporotic bone defects. OBJECTIVE:To introduce the application of stem cells combined with the three-dimensional scaffold in repairing osteoporotic bone defects. METHODS:A computer-based search of PubMed, Web of Science, Springerlink, Medline, WanFang and CNKI databases was performed for relevant articles published from 2007 to 2017 with "stem cells, scaffold, osteoporosis, bone defects" as key words in English and Chinese, repsectively. Initially, 142 articles were retrieved, and finally 45 articles were included in result analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Due to the potential of self-renewal and multilineage differentiation, stem cells can be used to repair or regenerate damaged tissues, which are considered as an ideal cell source for the treatment of diseases in orthopedics. The suitable scaffold can provide a favorable microenvironment for repairing the attachment and growth of the cells related to the bone defect, which can promote the healing without additional side effects. Furthermore, stem cells combined with three-dimensional scaffolds provide a promising clinical application for the treatment of osteoporotic bone defects by regulation of bone metabolism. In addition, gene-modified stem cells with three-dimensional scaffolds bring a huge potential in the treatment of osteoporotic bone defects. In conclusion, the combination of stem cells and three-dimensional scaffolds provides a new approach for the treatment of osteoporotic bone defects, which may be one of the future therapeutic strategies.