Cell therapy in regenerative medicine: a systematic review of clinical applications
Keywords:
Stem Cells, Regenerative Medicine, Cell Therapy, Systematic Review, Efficacy, SafetyAbstract
Introduction: Regenerative medicine based on cell therapy has experienced rapid expansion in response to the increase in chronic degenerative diseases and dissatisfaction with conventional palliative treatments, although methodological challenges persist that hinder its clinical translation.
Objective: To synthesize the recent scientific evidence on the efficacy, safety, and clinical applications of stem cell therapy.
Methodology: PRISMA 2020 systematic review. Searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE, SciELO, LILACS, and Google Scholar (2019–2024). Forty-eight studies were included (clinical trials, observational studies, systematic reviews, and preclinical studies). Quality was assessed using Cochrane RoB 2, Newcastle-Ottawa, AMSTAR 2, and SYRCLE. A narrative synthesis was performed by specialty and cell type.
Results: Musculoskeletal (20.8%), neurological (14.6%), and dermatological (12.5%) applications predominated. Mesenchymal stem cells were the most frequently used (45.8%). In knee osteoarthritis, they showed a reduction in pain of 1.8 points (VAS) and an improvement of 12.3 points (WOMAC). In Parkinson's disease, they showed an improvement of 8.5 points (UPDRS-III) with 15% dyskinesias. Hematopoietic stem cells maintain established indications (5-year survival rate of 40-70%, graft-versus-host disease rate of 30-50%). Mesenchymal stem cells have a favorable safety profile, with the most common adverse effects being local pain (10-20%), mild fever (5-12%), and joint edema (5-8%).
Conclusions: Cell therapy shows moderate efficacy in osteoarthritis and Parkinson's disease, with excellent safety for mesenchymal stem cells. Hematological applications constitute a standard of care. The evidence is limited by methodological heterogeneity and short follow-up periods. Randomized phase III trials with long-term follow-up are required to solidify indications.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Duany Delgado-Bermúdez, Dayana Bermúdez-Sañudo , Maylin Gutiérrez-Martínez , Lissel de la Caridad Ramírez-Gómez , Lorena González-Berrio
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