Therapeutic utility of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells-based approaches in pulmonary diseases: Recent advancements and prospects

Pulmonary diseases across all ages threaten millions of people and have emerged as one of the major public health issues worldwide. For diverse disease conditions, the currently available approaches are focused on alleviating clinical symptoms and delaying disease progression but have not shown significant therapeutic effects in patients with lung diseases. Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) isolated from the human UC have the capacity for self-renewal and multilineage differentiation. Moreover, in recent years, these cells have been demonstrated to have unique advantages in the treatment of lung diseases. We searched the Public Clinical Trial Database and found 55 clinical trials involving UC-MSC therapy for pulmonary diseases, including coronavirus disease 2019, acute respiratory distress syndrome, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and pulmonary fibrosis. In this review, we summarize the characteristics of these registered clinical trials and relevant published results and explore in depth the challenges and opportunitiesfaced in clinical application. Moreover, the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in UC-MSC-based therapy for pulmonary diseases are also analyzed in depth. In brief, this comprehensive review and detailed analysis of these clinical trials can be expected to provide a scientific reference for future large-scale clinical application.

Key Words: Pulmonary diseases, Mesenchymal stem cells, Human umbilical cord, Cell therapy, Clinical trials

 

Core Tip: Pulmonary diseases across all ages threaten millions of people and have emerged as one of the major public health issues worldwide. Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) are superior for standardization and large-scale production for disease treatment. Herein, we provide a detailed summary of clinical trials and results related to the use of UC-MSCs in the treatment of lung diseases and explore in depth the challenges and opportunities faced in the clinical application of these cells.

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• Citation: Meng M, Zhang WW, Chen SF, Wang DR, Zhou CH. Therapeutic utility of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells-based approaches in pulmonary diseases: Recent advancements and prospects. World J Stem Cells 2024; 16(2): 70-88
• URL: https://www.wjgnet.com/1948-0210/full/v16/i2/70.htm
• DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4252/wjsc.v16.i2.70

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