Transplantation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Potential Adjuvant Therapy for COVID-19

Yingqian Zhu; Shasha Geng; Qingqing Li; Hua Jiang

doi:10.3389/fbioe.2020.557652

Transplantation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Potential Adjuvant Therapy for COVID-19

Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2020 Nov 5:8:557652. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.557652. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Yingqian Zhu^{1

2}, Shasha Geng^{1

2}, Qingqing Li^{1

2}, Hua Jiang^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Geriatrics, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
² Department of General Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative pathogen for coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), which has posed an increasing serious public health threat. However, still there are no approved antiviral agents or vaccines available yet. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are emerging as a novel promising adjuvant therapy for the attenuation of COVID-19 based on its putative pathogenesis. MSCs may exert anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-apoptotic, as well as regenerative effects through a series of mechanisms. Remarkably, MSCs may be resistant to virus infection, which is fundamental for the treatment of COVID-19. The beneficial therapeutic effects of MSCs have been preliminarily proved to be safe and efficacious for the treatment of COVID-19 in current clinical trials. This work aims to review the beneficial effects of MSCs in treating ALI/ARDS, which provides novel insight into the potential therapeutic strategies against COVID-19. However, further research is warranted regarding both safety and efficacy of MSCs.

Keywords: ALI/ARDS; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; anti-inflammation; clinical trial; cytokine storm; immunomodulation; mesenchymal stem cells.

Publication types

Review