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Review
. 2017;3(4):263-275.
doi: 10.1007/s40610-017-0076-4. Epub 2017 Oct 23.

The Potential of microRNAs for Stem Cell-based Therapy for Degenerative Skeletal Diseases

Emma Budd  1 , Shona Waddell  1 , María C de Andrés  1 , Richard O C Oreffo  1
Affiliations
Review

The Potential of microRNAs for Stem Cell-based Therapy for Degenerative Skeletal Diseases

Emma Budd et al. Curr Mol Biol Rep. 2017.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Degenerative skeletal disorders including osteoarthritis (OA) and osteoporosis (OP) are the result of attenuation of tissue regeneration and lead to painful conditions with limited treatment options. Preventative measures to limit the onset of OA and OP remain a significant unmet clinical need. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are known to be involved in the differentiation of stem cells, and in combination with stem cell therapy could induce skeletal regeneration and potentially prevent OA and OP onset.

Recent findings: The combination of stem cells and miRNA has been successful at regenerating the bone and cartilage in vivo. MiRNAs, including miR-146b known to be involved in chondrogenic differentiation, could provide innovative targets for stem cell-based therapy, for the repair of articular cartilage defects forestalling the onset of OA or in the generation of a stem cell-based therapy for OP.

Summary: This review discusses the combination of skeletal stem cells (SSCs) and candidate miRNAs for application in a cell-based therapy approach for skeletal regenerative medicine.

Keywords: Bone; Cartilage; Osteoarthritis; Osteoporosis; Skeletal stem cell; miRNA.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

Emma Budd, Shona Waddell, María C. de Andrés, and Richard O. C. Oreffo declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
miRNAs involved in osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation of SSCs isolated from human bone marrow. Following routine total hip replacement, the femoral head is removed and bone marrow sample donated for isolation of SSCs. From the bone marrow sample, mononuclear cells are isolated by density centrifugation and the cell population enriched for SSCs by magnetic separation. MiRNAs involved in either chondrogenic or osteogenic differentiation are indicated by association with the relevant arrow. MiRNAs in red negatively regulate differentiation and in green positively regulate differentiation
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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