الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Bone is continuously being remodeled throughout life to maintain skeletal integrity and mechanical strength. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) within the skeletal tissues contribute to the normal remodeling and repair processes by providing the pool of osteoblasts necessary to form the mineralized matrix of bone. However, in certain situations, including non-union fractures and diseases such as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, cancer and infection, the normal repair and remodeling processes are often impaired. Furthermore, other associated connective tissues such as cartilage, tendon and ligament demonstrate a limited capacity for regeneration in response to damage caused by trauma or disease. For these reasons, different MSCs preparations have been assessed as novel cell-based therapies to facilitate the developmental and remodeling processes required for the repair of damaged skeletal tissues, such as long bones, cranial bones, articular cartilage, ligament and tendons.
The multipotency, paracrine factors, and immune-modulatory properties of MSCs make them an ideal stem cell type for tissue engineering and regenerative purposes. The use of MSC as a feasible and effective therapy to repair bone defects has been investigated over the last two decades. However, the regeneration of any three-dimensional tissue is a complex process, where it has been proposed that a number of key elements are required to coordinate the generation of a functional tertiary structure. Interestingly, while administration of stem cells alone appears to provide a benefit for hematopoietic, neuronal and cardiac regeneration. Skeletal repair generally requires the structural and mechanical support provided by a scaffold.
A multitude of biocompatible scaffolds have been examined in skeletal injury models, including synthetic and natural biodegradable scaffolds. Preliminary studies carried out in rodents have provided strong evidence for the potential of MSCs in skeletal tissue regeneration and have paved the way for osteochondral tissue engineering studies in larger animals and more recently human clinical trials.
It is evident from the literature that multipotential MSC possess a vast therapeutic capacity that has been able to assist in the repair of osteochondrogenic defects, diseases and disorders including, osteogenesis imperfecta, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, bone fracture, craniosynostosis in pre-clinical and some clinical settings. While it is clear that MSCs improve bone and cartilage regeneration, the combination of optimal numbers of MSCs with the appropriate scaffold for the tissue of interest may further enhance this process both spatially and temporally.