Applications of Phytomedicines in Chondrocytes and Osteocytes Regeneration Therapy: Pre-Clinical and Clinical Studies

Abstract

Phytomedicines, also known as plant-derived drugs, possess preventive and therapeutic effects. Herbal medicines exert a wide range of biological and medicinal properties along with beneficial advantages, including fewer side-effects and lower costs compared to their chemical counterparts. Herbal derivates form basis of many available chemical medicines such as Atropine, Hyoscyamine, Quinine, Colchicine, Digoxin, Codeine, and Morphine. Asian and African populations consume herbal medicine for therapeutic purposes by 60-80%. In the United States, 25% of pharmaceutical medications have at least one herbal-derived ingredient in their structure. Regenerative Medicine (RM) employs stem cells and tissue engineering technology to restore injured cells and repair tissue damage. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells, which can be differentiated into numerous cells. Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) as multipotent stem cells are the most frequently used stem cells in RM, which can be differentiated into several cell types such as adipocytes, osteocytes, and chondrocytes. Bone disorders and cartilage injuries are not responsive to currently available therapies; thus, researchers have focused on herbal-based stem cell therapies. The present study aimed to review the mechanism underlying the therapeutic application of phytomedicines in the RM and their efficacy in osteogenesis and chondrogenesis.