Editorial Commentary: If Individual Treatments Are Potentiated, Multimodal Therapy Including Cells and Platelet-Rich Plasma May Beneficially Treat Cartilage Degeneration and Arthritis.

Abstract

Multimodal therapies may optimize treatments if individual treatments are potentiated. In an attempt to obtain the elusive cure for cartilage degeneration, combined biologic injectable therapy might improve results. Due to the multipotent mesenchymal stem cells in adipose tissue, microfat containing adipose-derived stem cells may assist in cartilage repair. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been similarly shown to be an effective biologic therapy through the release of growth factors affecting chondrocyte metabolism and decreasing inflammation. These 2 different products might be synergistic. Recent study, however, shows no significant differences when evaluating microfat with or without PRP, and importantly also shows that PRP with microfat does provide improvement in knee arthritic pain. This improvement may not correlate with the development of new cartilage, but it does improve function. Each biologic has beneficial effects on knee joint function through different mechanisms.