Effect of Stem Cell Therapy on Bone Mineral Density: A Meta-Analysis of Preclinical Studies in Animal Models of Osteoporosis.

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)

Preclinical studies of the therapeutic role of stem cell based therapy in animal models of osteoporosis have largely yielded inconsistent results. We performed a meta-analysis to provide an overview of the currently available evidence. Pubmed, Embase and Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched for relevant controlled studies. A random-effect model was used for pooled analysis of the effect of stem cell based therapy on bone mineral density (BMD). Stratified analyses were performed to explore the effect of study characteristics on the outcomes. Pooled results from 12 preclinical studies (110 animals in stem cell treatment groups, and 106 animals in control groups) indicated that stem cell based treatment was associated with significantly improved BMD (standardized mean difference [SMD] = 1.29, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.84-1.74, P < 0.001) with moderate heterogeneity (Cochrane's Q test: P = 0.02, I2 = 45%) among the constituent studies. Implantation of bone marrow cells, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, adipose-derived stem cells, and human umbilical cord blood-derived CD34+ cells, were all associated with improved BMD as compared to that in the controls (P < 0.05 for all); the only exception being the use of embryonic stem cell transplantation (P > 0.05). Egger's test detected potential publication bias (P = 0.055); however, 'trim and fill' analysis yiel

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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