Potential of adipose derived stem cells in orthopaedic surgery

Tissue engineering and cell therapies are currently being leveraged to find improved treatment strategies in orthopaedics. Adipose stem cells have been considered for their potential to differentiate into different cell lineages. The potential of adipose stem cells to restore chondral, bone and tendon tissue has been demonstrated in vivo and in vitro studies. Recently their capacity to restore cells and extracellular matrix of the intervetebral disc has been also investigated. Treatment of several orthopedic diseases could benefit from the application of adipose stem cells. However, there is still lack of knowledge about their clinical use and further studies are needed to better clarify their potential.