Tuo L, Zeng W Z, Xue H L, Wu X L
Department of Gastroenterology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China.
Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital of Chengdu Military Region, Chengdu 610083.
Zhonghua Gan Zang Bing Za Zhi. 2017 Jan 20;25(1):65-68. doi: 10.3760/cma.j.issn.1007-3418.2017.01.019.
At present, the most effective therapeutic method for end-stage liver fibrosis is liver transplantation. However, the application of liver transplantation is limited by a shortage of liver donors, a high incidence rate of surgical complications, graft-versus-host disease, and high medical costs. Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (UC-MSC) transplantation may become a promising method for the treatment of liver diseases. UC-MSCs are adult stem cells which exhibit multipotential differentiation and can differentiate into hepatic parenchymal cells. Due to their functions including immune regulation and secretion of trophic factors, UC-MSCs can inhibit immune response, promote hepatocyte regeneration, alleviate the progression of liver fibrosis, and improve liver function. In addition, compared with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, UC-MSCs have abundant sources, noninvasive collection, and high safety and thus they are attracting more and more attention. This article reviews the characteristics of UC-MSCs and their mechanism of action in the treatment of liver fibrosis, as well as risks of UC-MSCs therapy.
目前，终末期肝纤维化最有效的治疗方法是肝移植。然而，肝移植的应用受到肝供体短缺、手术并发症发生率高、移植物抗宿主病以及医疗成本高等因素的限制。脐带间充质干细胞（UC-MSC）移植可能成为一种有前景的肝病治疗方法。UC-MSCs是成体干细胞，具有多能分化能力，可分化为肝实质细胞。由于其具有免疫调节和分泌营养因子等功能，UC-MSCs可抑制免疫反应、促进肝细胞再生、减轻肝纤维化进展并改善肝功能。此外，与骨髓间充质干细胞相比，UC-MSCs来源丰富、采集无创且安全性高，因此越来越受到关注。本文综述了UC-MSCs的特性及其在肝纤维化治疗中的作用机制，以及UC-MSCs治疗的风险。
