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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease characterized by synovial inflammation and progressive joint destruction and is a primary cause of disability worldwide. Despite the existence of numerous anti-rheumatic drugs, a significant number of patients with RA do not respond or are intolerant to current treatments. Mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSCs) therapy represents a promising therapeutic tool to treat RA, mainly attributable to the immunomodulatory effects of these cells. This review comprises a comprehensive analysis of the scientific literature related to preclinical studies of MSC-based therapy in RA to analyse key aspects of current protocols as well as novel approaches which aim to improve the efficacy of MSC-based therapy.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease characterized by synovial inflammation and progressive joint destruction and is a primary cause of disability worldwide. Despite the existence of numerous anti-rheumatic drugs, a significant number of patients with RA do not respond or are intolerant to current treatments. Mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSCs) therapy represents a promising therapeutic tool to treat RA, mainly attributable to the immunomodulatory effects of these cells. This review comprises a comprehensive analysis of the scientific literature related to preclinical studies of MSC-based therapy in RA to analyse key aspects of current protocols as well as novel approaches which aim to improve the efficacy of MSC-based therapy., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)