Effect of mesenchymal stem cell in liver regeneration and clinical applications

Abstract

Liver disease accounts for approximately 2 million deaths per year worldwide with cirrhosis, viral hepatitis, and malignancy being the most common causes. Consequently, the regenerative capacity of the liver is a topic of extreme interest in the search for curative therapies to end-stage liver disease. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as a promising new therapy for hepatic regeneration. MSCs have multiple properties that make them an appropriate treatment option for liver disease including easy accessibility, targeted migration, immunomodulatory potential and antifibrotic/antioxidant effects. Additionally, MSCs have potential clinical applications in acellular therapy and tissue engineering. Liver regeneration with concurrent attenuation of liver injury makes MSCs a compelling therapeutic target in the setting of severe liver disease. This review outlines the mechanisms of MSC-driven liver regeneration and suggests potential clinical applications.

Novel Therapies for the Treatment of Drug-Induced Liver Injury: A Systematic Review

“…Based on self-renewal potential and differentiation ability in hepatocyte-like cells researches using animal models of carbon tetrachloride and α-galactosylceramide toxic liver injuries have proved the favorable effect of MSCs on function and liver damage (Alfaifi et al, 2018;Wang et al, 2018). Mesenchymal stem cells based therapy has been advanced as a substitute for liver transplantation, especially in alcoholic and viral cirrhosis, but has not yet surpassed the early phases of clinical studies (Lee et al, 2021). To date, no clinical trials have been conducted to evaluate the effects of MSCs in DILI.…”

Extraembryonic Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cells in Liver Diseases: A Critical Revision of Promising Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products

“…Such unpredictable results were even exacerbated by inconsistent and frequently poorly effective maturation protocols performed ex vivo, aimed to generate different somatic cells, including liver cells. Over the years, several researchers and biotech companies have proposed MSCs as multipotent alternative solution to tissue-resident progenitor liver cells, bounded by genetic and epigenetic instabilities, but even more, limited by hepatic maturation level and bio-synthetic activities [ 22 ].…”

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Influence Activation of Hepatic Stellate Cells, and Constitute a Promising Therapy for Liver Fibrosis

“…However, more than 2 × 10 8 MSCs reduced liver damage in patients with liver cirrhosis [ 121 ]. In most clinical studies, one-time doses were administrated, but had no significant difference in treating liver cirrhosis compared with two doses a month apart [ 122 ]. Nevertheless, most clinical trials have shown that MSC-based therapies have beneficial effects on liver fibrosis ( Table 2 ).…”