J Hepatol. 2018 Feb 6. pii: S0168-8278(18)30080-1. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2018.01.030. [Epub ahead of print]

Mesenchymal stromal cell therapy for liver diseases.

Alfaifi M¹, Eom YW², Newsome PN³, Koo Baik S⁴.

Abstract

The therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) in the treatment of liver fibrosis is predominantly based on their immunosuppressive properties, and their ability to secrete various trophic factors. This potential has been investigated in clinical and pre-clinical studies. Although the therapeutic mechanisms of MSC transplantation are still not fully characterized, accumulating evidence has revealed that various trophic factors secreted by MSC play key therapeutic roles in regeneration by alleviating inflammation, apoptosis, and fibrosis as well as stimulating angiogenesis and tissue regeneration in damaged liver. In this review, we summarize the safety, efficacy, potential transplantation routes and therapeutic effects of MSC in patients with liver fibrosis. We also discuss some of the key strategies to enhance the functionality of MSC, which include sorting and/or priming with factors such as cytokines, and also genetic engineering of MSC.