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Growth Factor Concentrate (GFC) for the Management of Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Systematic Review

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Abstract

Introduction

The knee is the most commonly affected joint in osteoarthritis (OA), affecting millions of people worldwide. Knee OA significantly impacts the activities of daily living (ADL) along with affecting overall quality of life of patients (QoL), thereby leading to substantial socio-economic burden. Conservative therapies are prioritized, resorting to surgery only when needed. However, these traditional approaches have limitations. Regenerative medicine, involving the use of orthobiologics, including autologous peripheral blood-derived orthobiologics such as growth factor concentrate (GFC), has evolved and shown potential for managing knee OA. The primary goal of this review is to summarize the results of in vitro, preclinical and clinical studies involving GFC for the management of knee OA.

Methods

Multiple databases (PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science and Embase) were searched applying terms for the intervention ‘GFC’ and treatment ‘knee OA’ for the studies published in the English language to March 10, 2024.

Results

Only three clinical studies met our pre-defined criteria and were included in this review.

Conclusion

Intra-articular administration of GFC is safe and potentially efficacious to manage OA of the knee. More, adequately powered, multi-center, prospective, RCTs are warranted to demonstrate the long-term effectiveness of GFC in patients suffering from mild-to-moderate knee OA and to justify its routine clinical use. Further studies evaluating the efficacy of GFC compared to other orthobiologics are also required to allow physicians/surgeons to choose the optimal orthobiologic for the treatment of OA of the knee.

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Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Future Biologics, Lawrenceville, GA, 30043, USA

    Ashim Gupta

  2. Regenerative Orthopaedics, Noida, 201301, India

    Ashim Gupta

  3. South Texas Orthopaedic Research Institute (STORI Inc.), Laredo, TX, 78045, USA

    Ashim Gupta

  4. BioIntegrate, Lawrenceville, GA, 30043, USA

    Ashim Gupta

  5. Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, University La Sapienza, 00185, Rome, Italy

    Nicola Maffulli

  6. Centre for Sports and Exercise Medicine, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Mile End Hospital, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4DG, UK

    Nicola Maffulli

  7. School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Keele University School of Medicine, Stoke On Trent, ST4 7QB, UK

    Nicola Maffulli

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Contributions

AG conceptualized the study. AG wrote the initial manuscript draft. AG and NM reviewed and edited the manuscript draft. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ashim Gupta.

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Gupta, A., Maffulli, N. Growth Factor Concentrate (GFC) for the Management of Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Systematic Review. JOIO 58, 829–834 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43465-024-01172-w

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