Effectiveness and Safety of Stem Cell Therapy in Liver Cirrhosis: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

In recent years, stem cell transplantation (SCT) has been applied to the clinical treatment of patients with cirrhosis. The specialist clinic of the SCT clinic provides regular and effective interventions for cirrhosis, helping to improve patient management and compliance. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy and safety of SCT in the treatment of cirrhosis.

This systematic review adhered to the guidelines outlined in the PRISMA statement. The National Library of Medicin (MEDLINE), Excerpt Medica Database (EMBASE), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and Clinical Trials.gov databases were searched to screen liver cirrhosis-related articles with stem cell therapy from 2000 to 2022. The articles were then filtered and extracted for clinical outcomes including MELD score, Child-Pugh score, platelets, creatinine, bilirubin, albumin, international normalized ratio (INR), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), α fetoprotein (AFP), prothrombin time (PT). The data were normalized and analyzed using the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI).

A total of 1209 articles were searched, and from these, ten studies were selected for analysis regarding the association between SCT and the clinical outcomes of liver cirrhosis. The findings revealed that SCT therapy, in comparison to conventional treatment, resulted in a reduction in MELD score and INR after 1 month, a decrease in Child-Pugh score at 3 months, an increase in platelet count at 3 months, and an elevation in ALB levels after 1 month. However, no significant beneficial effects were observed on creatinine, bilirubin, PT, ALT, AST, GGT, ALP, and ASP levels.

This study suggested that SCT therapy could elevate the ALB levels and alleviate the MELD score and INR, short-term decreasing the Chile-Pugh score and increasing the platelet levels. It could be a potential therapeutic alternative for patients with cirrhosis.