Biotherapeutic Applications of Platelet-Rich Plasma in Regenerative Medicine

Abstract

Background: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), a blood-based product containing platelets and growth factors, is being utilized to treat numerous non-hemostatic disorders. Studies have explored the use of PRP to provide rapid repair, healing, and recovery from various injuries; some studies mentioned the effectiveness of PRP as compared with other forms of treatment like the use of hyaluronic acid. Commercially available PRP systems are available now, and each varies from one another depending on how it is prepared, thus causing variations in platelet concentration and growth factor content. These variations also implicated different therapeutic applications.

Methods: The paper reviews the various applications of PRP, including factors to consider before using PRP therapy, and provides an extensive list of PRP applications.

Results: The administration of PRP as a standalone treatment or as a co-therapy results in observed positive outcomes. However, there is a lack of standardization for PRP preparation, increasing the risks for heterogeneity and bias amongst results.

Conclusion: The use of PRP is indeed an option for regenerative therapy, but more research is needed before it can fully be recommended as a primary treatment modality.

Keywords: Biotherapy; Platelet; Platelet-rich plasma; Regenerative medicine; Treatment.

Fig. 1

The current uses of PRP as a treatment. When an injury has occurred, activated platelets (A) release growth factors (B) for connective tissue regeneration, cell growth, cell differentiation, and angiogenesis. In musculoskeletal injuries (C) and chronic wounds (D), growth factors played a significant role in regeneration and effectiveness in hemostasis, tissue repair, and reduction of healing time. These growth factors found in PRP are also impressive when used as a dental implant (F) in dental cell regeneration and as well in hair regrowth (E)