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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Cell and Gene Therapy
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1424253

Effectiveness and mechanisms of mesenchymal stem cell therapy in preclinical animal models of hepatic fibrosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Provisionally accepted
Xuesong Wang Xuesong Wang 1*Yue Wang Yue Wang 1Wenming Lu Wenming Lu 1Jiayang Qu Jiayang Qu 1,2Yang Zhang Yang Zhang 1Junsong YE Junsong YE 3
  • 1 Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
  • 2 Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
  • 3 First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Liver damage due to long-term viral infection, alcohol consumption, autoimmune decline, and other factors could lead to the gradual development of liver fibrosis. Unfortunately, until now, there has been no effective treatment for liver fibrosis. Mesenchymal stem cells, as a promising new therapy for liver fibrosis, can slow the progression of fibrosis by migrating to the site of liver injury and by altering the microenvironment of the fibrotic area.By including all relevant studies to date to comprehensively assess the efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis and to explore considerations for clinical translation and therapeutic mechanisms.Data sources included PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library, and were constructed until October 2023. Data for each study outcome indicator were extracted for comprehensive analysis.The overall meta-analysis showed that mesenchymal stem cells significantly improved liver function. Moreover, it inhibited the expression level of transforming growth factor-β (SMD=4.21, 95%CI [3.02,5.40]), which in turn silenced hepatic stellate cells and significantly reduced the area of liver fibrosis (SMD=3.61, 95% CI [1.41,5.81]).Several outcome indicators suggest that mesenchymal stem cells therapy is relatively reliable in the treatment of liver fibrosis. The therapeutic effect is cell dose-dependent over a range of doses, but not more effective at higher doses. Bone-marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells were more effective in treating liver fibrosis than mesenchymal stem cells from other sources.

    Keywords: mesenchymal stem cell, Stem Cell Therapy, liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, Meta-analysis 2.2. Study selection 2.2.1. Inclusion criteria

    Received: 27 Apr 2024; Accepted: 26 Jun 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wang, Wang, Lu, Qu, Zhang and YE. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Xuesong Wang, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.