Level A· Stronger Clinical Evidence
Rapid-acting pain relief in knee osteoarthritis: autologous-cultured adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells outperform stromal vascular fraction: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Lee H., Lim Y., Lee S.H.
Analysed 31 studies with 1,406 patients: cultured ADMSCs reduced pain from month 3, whereas SVF reached significance only at 12 months.
Level A· Stronger Clinical EvidenceEvidence level of this study
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
- Study type
- Meta-analysis
- Journal
- Stem Cell Research & Therapy (2024)
- Country
- South Korea
- Sample size
- 1406
- Follow-up
- 3–12 months
- PMID
- 39568086
- DOI
- 10.1186/s13287-024-04034-2
What was studied
Compared onset and magnitude of effect between cultured ADMSCs and SVF.
Methods
- • Multi-database search to June 2023, registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023433160).
- • 19 studies with 958 patients entered the meta-analysis.
Key findings
- • SVF produced significant pain reduction starting at 12 months (MD = -2.13).
- • Both ADMSCs and SVF significantly improved knee function at 12 months.
- • No evidence of severe adverse events directly linked to therapy.
Limitations
- • Included both randomized and non-randomized studies with differing risk of bias.
- • Cell preparation protocols differed across studies.
What this study does not prove
- • This study does not prove SVF is an approved treatment or a replacement for standard care.
- • Limited follow-up cannot indicate long-term outcomes.
Clinical interpretation
Suggests SVF may take longer to show pain benefit — important for setting patient expectations.
Evidence level: Stronger Clinical Evidence