A Brief Overview of Recent Engineering Approaches for Intervertebral Disc Regeneration Using Adipose Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Administration

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration and subsequent low back pain (LBP) are major orthopedic diseases worldwide. IVD herniation could be caused by an accidental trauma or posture imbalance. When the symptoms of LBP for patients worsen, surgical procedures such as discectomy are necessary. However, these orthopedic incisions often require secondary surgery to patients. Therefore, the need for improved engineering and clinical development to overcome these drawbacks should be emphasized, and IVD therapy using progenitor stem cell administration is recently in the spotlight. Among various cell sources, adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) are considered a potential alternative cell source to replace conventional bone marrow-derived stem cells for allograft transplantation and tissue engineering applications. In addition, a proper modulation of the growth environment and biological additives along with novel scaffold platforms successfully control the differentiation of ADSCs. Furthermore, recent clinical trials have shown feasible outcomes in systematic IVD repair using stem cell therapies. Taken together, this review summarizes (1) stem cell-based tissue engineering strategies for effective IVD regeneration and (2) clinical follow-up through stem cell transplantation.