Mesenchymal stromal cell therapy for pancreatitis: Progress and challenges

Pancreatitis is a common gastrointestinal disease with no effective therapeutic options, particularly for cases of severe acute and chronic pancreatitis (CP). Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells with diverse biological properties, including directional migration, paracrine, immunosuppressive, and antiinflammatory effects, which are considered an ideal candidate cell type for repairing tissue damage caused by various pathogenies. Several researchers have reported significant therapeutic efficacy of MSCs in animal models of acute and CP. However, the specific underlying mechanisms are yet to be clarified and clinical application of MSCs as pancreatitis therapy has rarely been reported. This review mainly focuses on the potential and challenges in clinical application of MSCs for treatment of acute and CP, along with discussion of the underlying molecular mechanisms.