Therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cell-based therapy for inflammatory bowel disease: Current advances and...

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory disorder that can affect multiple segments of the gastrointestinal tract. Current evidence indicates that its development arises from a complex interplay of environmental, psychological, genetic, and other contributing factors. Nevertheless, the precise etiology of IBD remains incompletely elucidated. In contemporary clinical practice, 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) is frequently employed to mitigate inflammatory activity; however, its therapeutic efficacy often falls short of expectations. Consequently, there is an imperative to explore more effective treatment modalities. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), characterized by their capacities for self-renewal and multilineage differentiation, have garnered widespread interest for their potential in treating a variety of diseases, including IBD. Studies have shown that MSCs can suppress inflammatory responses by restoring the dynamic balance of T-cell populations and promote tissue regeneration through their differentiation potential and homing abilities, playing a pivotal role in IBD treatment. Due to their intrinsic tropism for injury sites, this review aims to synthesize current knowledge on the importance of regulating the "homing effect" of MSCs to optimize their therapeutic efficacy against IBD. Additionally, the integration of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with MSC-based therapies has attracted considerable attention. This review also examines pertinent studies concerning TCM-mediated regulation of MSC homing and differentiation in the context of IBD treatment.