The use of amniotic tissue-derived products in orthopedic surgery: A narrative review

Abstract

Amniotic-derived products have been used for decades in various medical subspecialties and have proven to be a safe method of allograft tissue transplantation. These products have shown promising preclinical and early clinical results in the treatment of tendon/ligament injuries, cartilage defects, and osteoarthritis. The therapeutic benefits of amniotic-derived products are likely due to intrinsic properties, such as their structure as an extracellular matrix and concentration of growth factors, as well as anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic, and antimicrobial molecules. We performed a narrative review, evaluating the pre-clinical and clinical use of amniotic-derived products in musculoskeletal injuries such as osteoarthritis, Achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis, lateral epicondylitis, chronic stenosing tenosynovitis, and nerve, cartilage and tendon repair or reconstruction, along with fracture healing treatment. In vitro and pre-clinical studies using amniotic-derived products for orthopedic treatments have shown promising results and provide the foundation for further human trials to be conducted. With the rise of commercially available biologics, incorporating amniotic products into orthopedic practice is becoming more accessible, while further studies investigating long-term outcomes and potential adverse events are necessary.

Keywords: Allograft; Amniotic-derived products; Biologics; Orthobiologics; Osteoarthritis; Pluripotent cells.