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Review
. 2020 Apr;8(8):565.
doi: 10.21037/atm.2020.03.218.

The clinical application of mesenchymal stem cells in liver disease: the current situation and potential future

Sainan Zhang  1 , Ya Yang  1 , Linxiao Fan  1 , Fen Zhang  1 , Lanjuan Li  1
Affiliations
Review

The clinical application of mesenchymal stem cells in liver disease: the current situation and potential future

Sainan Zhang et al. Ann Transl Med. 2020 Apr.

Abstract

Liver disease is a major health issue which present poor clinical treatment performance. Cirrhosis and liver failure are common clinical manifestations of liver diseases. Liver transplantation is recognized as the ultimate and most efficient therapy to the end stage of liver disease. But it was limited by the shortage of honor organs and high cost. Nowadays, stem cell therapy gained more and more attention due to its attractive efficacy in treating liver disease especially in cirrhosis during the clinical trials. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) can be differentiated into hepatocytes, promote liver regeneration, inhibit liver fibrosis and induce liver apoptosis, particularly via paracrine mechanisms. This review will highlight recent clinical applications of MSC, providing the available evidence and discussing some unsolved questions in treating liver disease.

Keywords: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs); cirrhosis; liver disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/atm.2020.03.218). The series “Stem Cell and Clinical Application” was commissioned by the editorial office without any funding or sponsorship. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
MSCs derived from different tissues develop into multiple cell types in vitro. MSCs are most commonly derived from bone marrow, adipose tissue, menstrual blood, umbilical cord and amniotic fluid. MSCs can be induced different into multiple cell types such as neuronal cells, adipocytes, hepatocytes, cholangiocytes and cardiomyocytes.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The mechanism of therapeutic effect of MSCs and related signaling pathways. MSCs play a therapeutic role in liver diseases through a variety of ways, a large number of signal pathways are involved.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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