Application of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells to the treatment of osteonecrosis of the femoral head.

Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a type of common and refractory disease in the orthopedic clinic that is primarily caused by a partial obstruction of the blood supply to the femoral head, resulting in a series of pathological processes. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) comprise a mixture of various stem cells in myeloid tissue with multipotential differentiation capacity. They can differentiate into bone cells under specific conditions and can be used to treat ONFH through cell transplantation. This review summarizes research on MSCs in the field of ONFH in recent years, reveals the inner characteristics of MSCs, describes their potential to treat osteonecrosis disease, and analyzes the existing challenges of using MSCs in clinical applications.