Abstract
We analyzed the results of surgical treatment of 10 patients with II and III degree osteoarthritis of the knee joint, men = 3, women = 7. The average age was 49.3 years (±28). An arthroscopic revision of the knee joint was performed to determine the location, size and depth of cartilage defects. The synovial membrane was taken (30-50 mg), autologous mesenchymal stem cells were isolated and cultured. Next, arthroscopy of the knee joint was performed, where a heparin-conjugated fibrin hydrogel was implanted into the defect area, containing mesenchymal stem cells of the synovial membrane and growth factors transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1) and bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP-4).None of the patients, heparin-conjugated fibrin hydrogel with mesenchymal stem cells and growth factors caused serious undesirable complications after implantation into articular cartilage defects, which may indicate the safety of the hydrogel.Key words: mesenchymal stem cells, synovia, osteoarthrosis, cell therapy, heparin-conjuged fibrin hydrogel.