Why Is Amniotic Fluid The Potential Holy Grail For Regenerative Medicine?
In regenerative medicine the goal is not just to repair tissue that is injured. The human body repairs tissues, such as tendons and cartilage. The human repair process, though, typically falls short, either failing totally or hitting a maximum of seventy to eighty percent strength. This may be enough for functionality. Unfortunately, too often it leaves cartilage defects bare, rotator cuff tendons healed poorly, or ACL tears dysfunctional.
In recent years, there has been a shift with musculoskeletal injury and disease to regenerative capability. The United States put a man on the moon over 40 years ago, isn’t it about time we figured out how to regenerate soft tissues? Amniotic fluid has emerged as a potential superior source of regenerative components.
While a woman is pregnant, the amniotic membrane’s cells and fluid act to not only protect the fetus, but also aid in fetal growth. The fluid is an excellent source of proteins, growth factors, and multipotent stem cells critical for development.
Along with these components, various proteins, cytokines, carbohydrates, phospholipids, and hyaluronic acids are present. The stem cells that are present are capable of differentiating into all three germ layers of the human body. That means they have the capability to differentiate into adipogenic (fat), osteogenic (bone), myogenic (muscle), endothelial (skin), neurogenic (nerve), and hepatic (liver) cell lines.
Research studies have shown that amniotic fluid stem cells do not over replicate like embryonic stem cells can. This means the stem cells in amniotic fluid do not have the potential to form tumors as those from embryonic stem cells do.
Currently amniotic fluid stem cells have been used for a number of applications. The fluid has been successful as a biologic dressing in a number of clinical applications like as a wound covering. In addition, they have been successfully utilized in spinal fusion and as a scar tissue barrier around the spinal cord.
Amniotic fluid stem cell based treatments also also show some promise for the treatment of cartilage defects, tendon and ligament tears (e.g. ACL, rotator cuff, Achilles), and osteoarthritis. Soft tissue overuse syndromes also have responded anecdotally well to treatments including plantar fasciitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, medial and lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow).
Medicine has been waiting and hoping for an effective treatment that helps bolster the body’s regenerative capacity. Amniotic fluid treatments continue to show promise as a potential holy grail.
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