Combination of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Relatively higher-quality human studies compared with other topics in this database, e.g. multiple RCTs or systematic reviews. This does not mean it is standard or approved care.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Objectives The purpose of this meta-analysis was to investigate the efficacy and safety of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) combined with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Participants Patients with KOA. Interventions Use of MSCs+PRP. Primary and secondary outcomes Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) score, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and adverse reactions. Data sources PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase and China National Knowledge Infrastructure were searched from inception to 15 July 2021. Measures The OR or weighted mean difference (WMD) of relevant outcome indicators was calculated. Study quality was evaluated using the risk-of-bias assessment tool version 2.0. Heterogeneity among studies was evaluated by calculating I 2 . If I 2 ＜50%, a fixed-effect model was applied; conversely, if I 2 ≥50%, a random-effect model was applied. Results Six controlled clinical trials with 493 cases were included. The meta-analysis results showed that in terms of the VAS score 3 months after treatment, MSCs+PRP had no significant effect on the reduction of the VAS score in patients with KOA compared with the control (p=0.09), hyaluronic acid (HA) (p=0.15) or PRP alone (p=0.07). MSCs+PRP was more effective in reducing the

Evidence level

Relatively higher-quality human studies compared with other topics in this database, e.g. multiple RCTs or systematic reviews. This does not mean it is standard or approved care.

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