Targeted mesenchymal stem cell therapy equipped with a cell-tissue nanomatchmaker attenuates osteoarthritis progression

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are at the forefront of research for a wide range of diseases, including osteoarthritis (OA). Despite having attracted the attention of orthopedists, current MSC therapy techniques are limited by poor MSC implantation in tissue defects and lack of lateral tissue integration, which has restricted the efficacy of cell therapy to alleviate OA symptoms only. Here, we developed targeted MSC therapy for OA cartilage using a cell-tissue matchmaking nanoconstruct (C-TMN). C-TMN, as an MSC vehicle, consists of a central iron oxide nanoparticle armed with two types of antibodies, one directed at the MSC surface and the other against articular cartilage. We treated rat OA articular cartilage with intra-articular injections of C-TMN with and without exogenous MSCs. We observed substantial improvements in both symptomatic and radiographic OA caused by C-TMN, which was independent of exogenous MSCs. This new approach could predict a promising future for OA management.