Transplantation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Potential Adjuvant Therapy for COVID-19

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative pathogen for coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), which has posed an increasing serious public health threat. However, still there are no approved antiviral agents or vaccines available yet. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are emerging as a novel promising adjuvant therapy for the attenuation of COVID-19 based on its putative pathogenesis. MSCs may exert anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-apoptotic, as well as regenerative effects through a series of mechanisms. Remarkably, MSCs may be resistant to virus infection, which is fundamental for the treatment of COVID-19. The beneficial therapeutic effects of MSCs have been preliminarily proved to be safe and efficacious for the treatment of COVID-19 in current clinical trials. This work aims to review the beneficial effects of MSCs in treating ALI/ARDS, which provides novel insight into the potential therapeutic strategies against COVID-19. However, further research is warranted regarding both safety and efficacy of MSCs.

Keywords: ALI/ARDS; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; anti-inflammation; clinical trial; cytokine storm; immunomodulation; mesenchymal stem cells.

FIGURE 1

The role of MSCs transplantation as a promising therapeutic option in COVID-19 treatment. MSCs attenuate the cytokines storm through secretion of anti-inflammatory factors and regulation of the immune system. Due to loss of endothelial barrier integrity in patients with COVID-19, vascular permeability increased. MSCs can engraft to the injured sites and differentiate into lung epithelial and endothelial cells for reparation. In addition, MSCs protect host epithelial cells from apoptosis. As a consequence, the transplantation of MSCs could exert beneficial effects against ALI/ARDS induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection.