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Emerging roles of mesenchymal stem cell therapy in patients with critical limb ischemia
Zeinab Shirbaghaee1,2, Mohammad Hassani3, Saeed Heidari Keshel1,2
1Medical Nanotechnology and Tissue Engineering Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Insights
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) show promise for treating critical limb ischemia (CLI) by promoting blood flow and tissue repair. However, MSC therapy for CLI remains experimental and requires further research for clinical application.
Area of Science:
- Regenerative Medicine
- Vascular Biology
- Cell-Based Therapies
Background:
- Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is the severe stage of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), leading to high amputation and mortality rates.
- Standard treatments like angioplasty or bypass surgery are not always viable options for CLI patients.
- Therapeutic angiogenesis using cell-based therapies offers a potential regenerative approach to restore blood flow in ischemic tissues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the immunomodulatory characteristics of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).
- To explore various sources of MSCs for angiogenic treatment in CLI.
- To discuss the potential applications and current clinical challenges of MSC therapy for CLI.
Main Methods:
- Literature review focusing on immunomodulatory and angiogenic properties of MSCs.
- Analysis of different MSC sources and their efficacy in preclinical and clinical studies.
- Examination of current clinical application issues and recommendations for improving cell therapy.
Main Results:
- MSCs exhibit significant immunomodulatory and angiogenic potential for treating CLI.
- Various MSC sources are being investigated for their therapeutic benefits in restoring ischemic tissue function.
- Despite promising preclinical and clinical advances, MSC therapy for CLI is still considered experimental.
Conclusions:
- MSCs hold considerable promise as a regenerative therapy for CLI, offering tissue repair and improved blood flow.
- Further research and clinical validation are necessary to overcome current limitations and establish MSC therapy for routine clinical use in CLI patients.
- Addressing clinical application issues is crucial for enhancing the efficacy of cell therapy in managing critical limb ischemia.
Abstract:
Critical limb ischemia (CLI), the terminal stage of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), is characterized by an extremely high risk of amputation and vascular issues, resulting in severe morbidity and mortality. In patients with severe limb ischemia with no alternative therapy options, such as endovascular angioplasty or bypass surgery, therapeutic angiogenesis utilizing cell-based therapies is vital for increasing blood flow to ischemic regions. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are currently considered one of the most encouraging cells as a regenerative alternative for the surgical treatment of CLI, including restoring tissue function and repairing ischemic tissue via immunomodulation and angiogenesis. The regenerative treatments for limb ischemia based on MSC therapy are still considered experimental. Despite recent advances in preclinical and clinical research studies, it is not recommended for regular clinical use. In this study, we review the immunomodulatory features of MSC besides the current understanding of different sources of MSC in the angiogenic treatment of CLI subjects and their potential applications as therapeutic agents. Specifically, this paper concentrates on the most current clinical application issues, and several recommendations are provided to improve the efficacy of cell therapy for CLI patients.
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