Chondropathies are increasing worldwide, but effective treatments are currently lacking. Mesenchymal stromal cell (MSCs) transplantation represents a promising approach to counteract the degenerative and inflammatory environment characterizing those pathologies, such as osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Umbilical cord- (UC-) MSCs gained increasing interest due to their multilineage differentiation potential, immunomodulatory, and anti-inflammatory properties as well as higher proliferation rates, abundant supply along with no risks for the donor compared to adult MSCs. In addition, UC-MSCs are physiologically adapted to survive in an ischemic and nutrient-poor environment as well as to produce an extracellular matrix (ECM) similar to that of the cartilage. All these characteristics make UC-MSCs a pivotal source for a stem cell-based treatment of chondropathies. In this review, the regenerative potential of UC-MSCs for the treatment of cartilage diseases will be discussed focusing on in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies.

1st Department of Internal Medicine Faculty of Medicine Comenius University and University Hospital Bratislava Slovakia

2nd Department of Surgery Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University and St Anne's University Hospital Brno Czech Republic

Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair Morsani College of Medicine University of South Florida Tampa FL USA

Department of Research IRCCS ISMETT Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Specialized Therapies Palermo Italy

Section of Histology and Embryology Department of Biomedicine Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics University of Palermo Italy

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Facing the Challenges in the COVID-19 Pandemic Era: From Standard Treatments to the Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells as a New Therapeutic Strategy