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Review
. 2022 Dec 14;23(24):15942.
doi: 10.3390/ijms232415942.

Human Umbilical Cord-Based Therapeutics: Stem Cells and Blood Derivatives for Female Reproductive Medicine

Adolfo Rodríguez-Eguren  1   2 , María Gómez-Álvarez  1 , Emilio Francés-Herrero  1   3 , Mónica Romeu  4 , Hortensia Ferrero  1 , Emre Seli  2   5 , Irene Cervelló  1
Affiliations
Review

Human Umbilical Cord-Based Therapeutics: Stem Cells and Blood Derivatives for Female Reproductive Medicine

Adolfo Rodríguez-Eguren et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

There are several conditions that lead to female infertility, where traditional or conventional treatments have limited efficacy. In these challenging scenarios, stem cell (SC) therapies have been investigated as alternative treatment strategies. Human umbilical cord (hUC) mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSC), along with their secreted paracrine factors, extracts, and biomolecules, have emerged as promising therapeutic alternatives in regenerative medicine, due to their remarkable potential to promote anti-inflammatory and regenerative processes more efficiently than other autologous treatments. Similarly, hUC blood derivatives, such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP), or isolated plasma elements, such as growth factors, have also demonstrated potential. This literature review aims to summarize the recent therapeutic advances based on hUC-MSCs, hUC blood, and/or other plasma derivatives (e.g., extracellular vesicles, hUC-PRP, and growth factors) in the context of female reproductive medicine. We present an in-depth analysis of the principal molecules mediating tissue regeneration, compiling the application of these therapies in preclinical and clinical studies, within the context of the human reproductive tract. Despite the recent advances in bioengineering strategies that sustain delivery and amplify the scope of the therapeutic benefits, further clinical trials are required prior to the wide implementation of these alternative therapies in reproductive medicine.

Keywords: endometrium; exosomes; female reproduction; growth factors; ovary; platelet-rich plasma; stem cell therapy; umbilical cord; umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The hUC blood composition. This illustration depicts the roles of the (A) cellular and (B) acellular components, in tissue regeneration processes. EVs, extracellular vesicles; GF, growth factors; hUC, human umbilical cord; hUC-MSCs, human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells; hUCP, human umbilical cord plasma; hUCS, human umbilical cord serum; and NK cells, natural killer cells.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Pros and cons of using cellular and acellular UC therapies in the female reproductive tract. hUC-MSCs: human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells; hUCP: human umbilical cord plasma; hUC-PRP: human umbilical cord platelet-rich plasma; EVs: extracellular vesicles; GFs: growth factors.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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