Mesenchymal stem cell therapy for advanced liver cirrhosis: A case report

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplant may offer an alternative to liver transplantation in patients with end-stage liver disease. However, its efficacy remains uncertain. MSC was performed on a 50-year-old male with decompensated (Child-Turcotte-Pugh grade C) alcoholic liver cirrhosis due to an absence of donors for adult-deceased and living-related liver transplantation. Autologous bone marrow-derived MSCs were harvested from the patient and cultured using standard protocols. The MSCs were subsequently re-administrated into the liver via hepatic intra-arterial infusion on two separate occasions. After infusion, there was an improvement in biochemical parameters (serum total bilirubin, serum albumin), and a reduction of diuretic use for ascites for up to 8 weeks. However, all biochemical and clinical parameters deteriorated on long-term follow-up without any further infusions. The patient eventually succumbed to his disease. MSC transplantation may have a clinical benefit on adult patients with end-stage liver cirrhosis, but this appears to be transitory.