Characteristics and Developments in Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for COVID-19: An Update

Abstract

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has so far resulted in over a hundred million people being infected. COVID-19 poses a threat to human health around the world. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been confirmed as the pathogenic virus of COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the β-coronavirus family of viruses and is mainly transmitted through the respiratory tract. It has been proven that SARS-CoV-2 mainly targets angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2) receptors on the surface of various cells in humans. The main clinical symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, and severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Current evidence suggests that the damage caused by the virus may be closely related to the induction of cytokine storms in COVID-19. No specific drugs or measures have yet to be shown to cure COVID-19 completely. Cell-based approaches, primarily mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), have been identified to have anti-inflammatory and immune functions in COVID-19. Clinical studies about using MSCs and its derivatives—exosomes for COVID-19 treatment—are under investigation. Here, we review the current progress of the biological characteristics, clinical manifestations, and cell-based treatment development for COVID-19. Providing up-to-date information on COVID-19 and potential MSC therapies will help highlight routes to prevent and treat the disease.

Mesenchymal stem cells in fibrotic diseases—the two sides of the same coin

“…Moreover, the effects of MSCs derived from bone marrow and from adipose tissues show comparable immunomodulatory effects on both innate and acquired immunity of cells [ 239 ]. Based on the beneficial effects of MSCs in anti-inflammation and immunomodulation, large attention has been attracted to the application of MSCs therapy for immune and inflammatory diseases [ 240 – 243 ], including allergic diseases, osteoarthritis, and immune-dysregulating infectious diseases such as the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) [ 244 , 245 ].…”

Receptor-binding domain-anchored peptides block binding of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spike proteins with cell surface angiotensin-converting enzyme 2

“…While vaccinations and natural infections build herd immunity that helps to protect people from infection or prevent pandemic recurrence ( Lipsitch and Dean, 2020 ; Mobarak et al, 2022 ), cures are still lacking for the infected individuals in most areas. Among the scientific efforts, various therapeutics have been tried, such as cells ( Sang et al, 2021 ), engineered antibodies ( Matthay and Luetkemeyer, 2021 ), natural products ( Bhattacharya and Paul, 2021 ), synthetical biologicals ( Robson, 2020 ), and small molecules ( Tiwari et al, 2020 ). Intended targets included viral structural proteins ( Sheward et al, 2022 ), host products [e.g., interleukin 6 (IL-6)] ( Murthy and Lee, 2021 ), viral replication process ( Schafer et al, 2022 ), or host-virus interactions ( Gordon et al, 2020 ).…”

Molecular Mechanisms Related to Responses to Oxidative Stress and Antioxidative Therapies in COVID-19: A Systematic Review

“…Furthermore, drugs such as antimalarials were repurposed for COVID-19 treatment, although their efficacy has not yet been proven [ 174 ]. Moreover, blood stem cells, cord blood mononuclear cells, mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) based strategies [ 175 , 176 , 177 ] or targeted therapies with monoclonal antibodies [ 174 , 178 , 179 ], such as sotrovimab, adalimumab, nivolumab, clazakizumab, are being investigated in clinical trials. Scientists are trying to find new drugs or implementation ways to overcome the detrimental effects of the disease, but there is still no effective treatment.…”