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Review
. 2020 Feb 28;21(5):1653.
doi: 10.3390/ijms21051653.

Osteoporosis and the Potential of Cell-Based Therapeutic Strategies

Iratxe Macías  1 , Natividad Alcorta-Sevillano  1 , Clara I Rodríguez  1 , Arantza Infante  1
Affiliations
Review

Osteoporosis and the Potential of Cell-Based Therapeutic Strategies

Iratxe Macías et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Osteoporosis, the most common chronic metabolic bone disease, is characterized by low bone mass and increased bone fragility. Nowadays more than 200 million individuals are suffering from osteoporosis and still the number of affected people is dramatically increasing due to an aging population and longer life, representing a major public health problem. Current osteoporosis treatments are mainly designed to decrease bone resorption, presenting serious adverse effects that limit their safety for long-term use. Numerous studies with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have helped to increase the knowledge regarding the mechanisms that underlie the progression of osteoporosis. Emerging clinical and molecular evidence suggests that inflammation exerts a significant influence on bone turnover, thereby on osteoporosis. In this regard, MSCs have proven to possess broad immunoregulatory capabilities, modulating both adaptive and innate immunity. Here, we will discuss the role that MSCs play in the etiopathology of osteoporosis and their potential use for the treatment of this disease.

Keywords: MSCs; Osteoporosis; bone turnover markers; cell-based therapy; immunomodulation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript or in the decision to publish the results.

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