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Treating Chronic Pain with Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Therapeutic Approach Worthy of Continued Investigation

Ruth S Waterman and Aline M Betancourt

Though there are various etiologies to chronic pain, one common feature is that painful states are associated with increased inflammation. This is verified by studies in both animal models and humans that have found increased expression of inflammatory proteins in muscle tissue, and increased inflammatory cytokines in cerebral spinal fluid, synovial fluid, and serum. Over the last decade we have become aware of the anti-inflammatory effects that multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells frequently referred to as mesenchymal stem cells [MSC], elicit. This ability of MSC to affect the inflammatory milieu has led researchers to consider MSC as a treatment for various painful states such as degenerative disc disease and osteoarthritis. In this article we present relevant animal and human studies, which indicate that MSC are worthy of further study as a valuable therapy in the treatment of chronic pain.