Research Center for Biological Therapy, The Institute of Translational Hepatology, Beijing 302 Hospital, Beijing, China.
J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2012 Mar;27 Suppl 2:112-20. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1746.2011.07024.x.
Decompensated liver cirrhosis (LC), a life-threatening complication of chronic liver disease, is one of the major indications for liver transplantation. Recently, mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transfusion has been shown to lead to the regression of liver fibrosis in mice and humans. This study examined the safety and efficacy of umbilical cord-derived MSC (UC-MSC) in patients with decompensated LC. A total of 45 chronic hepatitis B patients with decompensated LC, including 30 patients receiving UC-MSC transfusion, and 15 patients receiving saline as the control, were recruited; clinical parameters were detected during a 1-year follow-up period. No significant side-effects and complications were observed in either group. There was a significant reduction in the volume of ascites in patients treated with UC-MSC transfusion compared with controls (P < 0.05). UC-MSC therapy also significantly improved liver function, as indicated by the increase of serum albumin levels, decrease in total serum bilirubin levels, and decrease in the sodium model for end-stage liver disease scores. UC-MSC transfusion is clinically safe and could improve liver function and reduce ascites in patients with decompensated LC. UC-MSC transfusion, therefore, might present a novel therapeutic approach for patients with decompensated LC.
失代偿期肝硬化（LC）是慢性肝病的一种危及生命的并发症，是肝移植的主要适应证之一。最近的研究表明，间充质干细胞（MSC）输注可导致小鼠和人类肝纤维化消退。本研究评估了脐带间充质干细胞（UC-MSC）在失代偿期 LC 患者中的安全性和疗效。共招募了 45 名慢性乙型肝炎失代偿期 LC 患者，包括 30 名接受 UC-MSC 输注的患者和 15 名接受生理盐水作为对照的患者；在 1 年的随访期间检测了临床参数。两组均未观察到明显的副作用和并发症。与对照组相比，接受 UC-MSC 输注的患者腹水体积明显减少（P<0.05）。UC-MSC 治疗还显著改善了肝功能，表现为血清白蛋白水平升高、总胆红素水平降低和终末期肝病模型钠评分降低。UC-MSC 输注在临床上是安全的，可以改善失代偿期 LC 患者的肝功能并减少腹水。因此，UC-MSC 输注可能为失代偿期 LC 患者提供一种新的治疗方法。
