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Meta-Analysis
. 2021 Oct;32(10):896-906.
doi: 10.5152/tjg.2021.19694.

Bone Marrow-Derived Stem Cells for Patients with Liver Cirrhosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Shi Ouyang  1 , Lei Ouyang  2 , Yuanq Li  3 , Yaling Ye  4 , Li Ban  5
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Bone Marrow-Derived Stem Cells for Patients with Liver Cirrhosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Shi Ouyang et al. Turk J Gastroenterol. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

Background: To date, studies have shown inconsistent results of treatment with bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMDSC) for patients with liver cirrhosis. This study aims to compare the efficacy and safety of BMDSC and standard therapy for liver cirrhosis.

Methods: Articles from PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane library were searched from inception to April 2018. The index included Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), albumin, total bilirubin (TBIL), prothrombin time (PT), Child-Pugh score, and all-cause mortality.

Results: A total of 9 studies with a total of 424 patients with liver cirrhosis were included in final meta-analysis. BMDSC therapy was associated with lower MELD within 3 months (P = .010), while it had no significant impact on MELD after 6 months (P = .074). There were no differences between BMDSC and standard therapy for ALT within 3 months (P = .336) and after 6 months (P = .379). BMDSC did not affect albumin level within 3 months (P = .196) and after 6 months (P = .840). BMDSC reduced the TBIL level within 3 months (P = .037) and was not associated with the TBIL level after 6 months (P = .914). There were no differences between BMDSC and standard therapy for PT within 3 months (P = .167) and after 6 months (P = .484). The Child-Pugh scores within 3 months (P = .342) and after 6 months (P = .133) were not associated with BMDSC treatment for liver cirrhosis patients. Finally, the BMDSC was not associated with the risk of all-cause mortality, as compared with standard therapy (P = .622).

Conclusions: BMDSC treatment for patients with liver cirrhosis could improve short-term MELD and TBIL, but not the risk of mortality, as compared with standard therapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: The authors have no conflict interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flow diagram of the literature search and study selection process.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Effect of BMDSC on MELD within 3 months and after 6 months.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Effect of BMDSC on ALT within 3 months and after 6 months.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Effect of BMDSC on albumin within 3 months and after 6 months.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Effect of BMDSC on TBIL within 3 months and after 6 months.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Effect of BMDSC on PT within 3 months and after 6 months.
Figure 7.
Figure 7.
Effect of BMDSC on the Child–Pugh score within 3 months and after 6 months.
Figure 8.
Figure 8.
Effect of BMDSC on the risk of all-cause mortality.
Figure 9.
Figure 9.
Funnel plots for MELD within 3 months and after 6 months.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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