Frailty: Focus on Regenerative Medicine

Abstract

Frailty, as a specific condition of increased vulnerability and deterioration of general health associated with aging in the elderly, is an emerging problem worldwide with serious implications for clinical practice and public health. Frailty increases the risk of falls, hospitalization, disability, and death. Muscle aging is associated with progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and function. Loss of muscle mass with age can be related to muscle fiber atrophy and loss of muscle fibers. With increasing human age, remodeling of bone tissue becomes more prone to slow and steady loss of bone mass, which is primarily associated with loss of bone formation by osteoblasts. Recent preclinical and clinical studies have confirmed the safety of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) in the treatment of frailty. MSCs are attracted to sites of damage where they act to reduce inflammation and promote cell repair. Thus, there is an assumption that frailty can be treated with cell therapy