Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40069694›Full record

SynthesisBMC musculoskeletal disorders2025

Mesenchymal stem cells therapy for the treatment of non-union fractures: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Cunbao Cui, Feng Lin, Liang Xia, Xinguang Zhang

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Co-Culture Approaches in Cartilage and Bone Tissue Regeneration.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Cunbao CuiDepartment of Joint Surgery, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, NO. 105, Jiefang Road, Jinan, 250013, China.
Feng LinDepartment of Joint Surgery, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, NO. 105, Jiefang Road, Jinan, 250013, China.
Liang XiaDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, NO. 105, Jiefang Road, Jinan, 250013, China.
Xinguang ZhangDepartment of Joint Surgery, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, NO. 105, Jiefang Road, Jinan, 250013, China. m18661351323@126.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis meta-analysis aimed to pool the existing evidence to determine the clinical efficacy and safety of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in patients with non-unions.

methodsA systematic search in PubMed and Scopus was performed until October 2024 to gather pertinent studies. The inclusion criteria included participants with non-unions, the intervention of MSC administration, a comparator of standard treatment (bone graft), and outcomes focused on healing rate, healing time, or side effects. The Jadad score Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the risk of bias in randomized and non-randomized studies, respectively. Moreover, GRADE criteria were used to assess the quality of evidence. Using a random effects model, odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for healing and complication rates, while standardized mean differences (SMD) with their 95% CIs were used to assess the impact of MSC therapy on bone union time.

resultsTwenty-one studies, with 866 patients, were included. The bone healing rates were 44% at 3 months, 73% at 6 months, 90% at 9 months, and 86% at 12 months, eventually reaching 91% after 12 months of follow-up. MSC therapy, with or without scaffolds, was linked to higher odds of bone healing rate at 3 and 6 months, compared to bone grafts as the standard care (OR = 1.69). The time to union following the treatment was 6.30 months (95%CI: 86-96%), with patients treated with MSC/Scaffold experiencing a shorter time compared to MSC alone (5.85 vs. 6.36 months). MSC therapy significantly decreased bone union time (SMD:-0.54 months, 95% CI: -0.75 to -0.33). The complication rate was 1% (MSC/Scaffold: 0%, MSC alone: 2%), with MSC alone or MSC/Scaffold showing a lower risk than the standard care (OR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.22-0.78).

conclusionMSC is a potential adjunct therapy for patients with non-union fractures. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.

Indexed as

Fracture HealingFractures, UnunitedMesenchymal Stem Cell TransplantationHumansTreatment OutcomeBone healingMesenchymal stem cellsMeta-analysisMSCsNon-union

Identifiers

PMID40069694
PMCPMC11900535

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.