What is the impact of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell transplantation on clinical treatment?

Abstract

Background Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HUC-MSCs) present in the umbilical cord tissue are self-renewing and multipotent. They can renew themselves continuously and, under certain conditions, differentiate into one or more cell types constituting human tissues and organs. HUC-MSCs differentiate, among others, into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and adipocytes and have the ability to secrete cytokines. The possibility of noninvasive harvesting and low immunogenicity of HUC-MSCs give them a unique advantage in clinical applications. In recent years, HUC-MSCs have been widely used in clinical practice, and some progress has been made in their use for therapeutic purposes. Main body This article describes two aspects of the clinical therapeutic effects of HUC-MSCs. On the one hand, it explains the benefits and mechanisms of HUC-MSC treatment in various diseases. On the other hand, it summarizes the results of basic research on HUC-MSCs related to clinical applications. The first part of this review highlights several functions of HUC-MSCs that are critical for their therapeutic properties: differentiation into terminal cells, immune regulation, paracrine effects, anti-inflammatory effects, anti-fibrotic effects, and regulating non-coding RNA. These characteristics of HUC-MSCs are discussed in the context of diabetes and its complications, liver disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, arthritis, brain injury and cerebrovascular diseases, heart diseases, spinal cord injury, respiratory diseases, viral infections, and other diseases. The second part emphasizes the need to establish an HUC-MSC cell bank, discusses tumorigenicity of HUC-MSCs and the characteristics of different in vitro generations of these cells in the treatment of diseases, and provides technical and theoretical support for the clinical applications of HUC-MSCs. Conclusion HUC-MSCs can treat a variety of diseases clinically and have achieved good therapeutic effects, and the development of HUC-MSC assistive technology has laid the foundation for its clinical application.

The Application of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in the Treatment of Liver Diseases: Mechanism, Efficacy, and Safety Issues

“…Accumulating evidence supports that MSCs play therapeutic roles in a paracrine manner, especially through trophic factors (49)(50)(51)(52). Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are the most widely reported trophic factors secreted by MSCs (46).…”

Biological Characteristics of Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Its Therapeutic Potential for Hematological Disorders

“…Two different mechanisms, either cell contact-dependent or -independent, have been advanced to explain this immunosuppression ( Yang et al, 2017 ; Zhang H. et al, 2017 ; Min et al, 2020 ). The main way is to inhibit the proliferation of activated T lymphocytes and secretion of inflammatory factors, inhibit the proliferation of B lymphocytes and secretion of immunoglobulins, inhibit the killing activity of NK cells, and inhibit the differentiation of monocytes into dendritic cells (DCs) ( Dabrowski et al, 2017 ; Xie et al, 2020 ).…”

Mesenchymal stem cells in SARS-CoV-2 infection: A hype or hope

“… MSCs can be isolated from various sources such as umbilical cord, menstrual blood, bone marrow, dental and Warton Jelly, Amniotic fluid. These MSCs are under investigation for effective treatment in COVID-19 patients [32] , [33] Transfusion of MSCs is a non-invasive procedure [34] Isolated MSCs can be stored for the long term for future usage [35] …”

“…MSCs can be isolated from various sources such as umbilical cord, menstrual blood, bone marrow, dental and Warton Jelly, Amniotic fluid. These MSCs are under investigation for effective treatment in COVID-19 patients [32] , [33] …”