Mesenchymal stem cells are a rescue approach for recovery of deteriorating kidney function

Stem cell (SC) therapy for chronic kidney disease (CKD) is urgently needed. The use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) is a possible new therapeutic modality. Our work aimed to isolate human MSC from adult bone marrow to improve kidney functions in CKD patients.

In our study 30 patients with impaired kidney function were included, their ages ranged from 22 to 68 years. They included 10 inactive glomerulonephritis patients due to systemic lupus erythromatosus (SLE) (group I), 10 renal transplantation cases (group II) and 10 patients of other aetiologies as the control group. Fifty millilitres of bone marrow was aspirated from the iliac bone, for separation of MSC.

There was a highly statistically significant difference between both CD271 and CD29 before and after culture with increase of both markers at end of culture, P < 0.01. Finally 50-70 million MSC in 10 mL saline (0.7-1.0 × 10(6) MSC/kg body weight) were infused intravenously in two divided doses one week apart. There was a highly statistically significant difference between each of serum creatinine and creatinine clearance levels before and after MSC injection at 1, 3 and 6 months post-infusion with SLE cases showing a greater decline of their serum creatinine and elevation of mean creatinine clearance levels after injection than transplantation and control groups, P < 0.05.

Mesenchymal stem cells therapy is a potential therapeutic modality for early phases of CKD.