Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Stem Cells. Apr 26, 2024; 16(4): 324-333
Published online Apr 26, 2024. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v16.i4.324
Adipose-derived regenerative therapies for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis
Ilias E Epanomeritakis, Wasim S Khan
Ilias E Epanomeritakis, Division of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom
Wasim S Khan, Division of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom
Author contributions: Epanomeritakis IE and Khan WS designed the overall concept and outline of the manuscript, contributed to the review of literature, and contributed to the writing and editing of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Wasim S Khan, FRCS, MBChB, MSc, PhD, Associate Professor, Surgeon, Division of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Cambridge, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom. wk280@cam.ac.uk
Received: January 17, 2024
Peer-review started: January 17, 2024
First decision: February 3, 2024
Revised: February 15, 2024
Accepted: March 1, 2024
Article in press: March 1, 2024
Published online: April 26, 2024
Processing time: 98 Days and 16.9 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: Adipose tissue products are becoming increasingly popular regenerative therapies for treating knee osteoarthritis. Encouraging results have been demonstrated in numerous observational studies and randomized trials. However, it is important to distinguish among isolated adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (ASCs), stromal vascular fraction (SVF), and micro-fragmented adipose tissue (MFAT) to avoid study heterogeneity and improve the quality of evidence regarding these therapies. Different modes of preparation, cell composition, and physical properties are likely to influence the regenerative function of ASCs. To elucidate which adipose-derived therapy is superior for cartilage regeneration, randomized trials are needed to compare ASCs, SVF, and MFAT as distinct therapies.