REVIEW  STEM CELL-BASED BIOTECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN REGENERATIVE MEDICINE 

Minerva Biotecnologica 2017 December;29(4):188-99

DOI: 10.23736/S1120-4826.17.02360-6

Copyright © 2017 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Stem cell transplantation in liver diseases: current knowledge and future perspectives

Anna C. PISCAGLIA ¹ ✉, Rinaldo PELLICANO ²

¹ Unit of Endoscopy and Gastroenterology, State Hospital, City of San Marino, Republic of San Marino; ² Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Molinette Hospital, Turin, Italy

The natural history of chronic liver disease is characterized by long-lasting inflammation and hepatocellular necrosis that lead to fibrogenesis, which overtime progresses, in a variable percentage of patients, to cirrhosis and its complications such as hepatocellular carcinoma and end-stage liver diseases. Liver pathologies represent a major global health issue and till now the only curative treatment for end-stage liver diseases remains allogeneic liver transplantation (LT). However, given the donor organ shortage, only 20-30% of patients on the waiting list can benefit from LT. As a consequence, various alternatives to LT have been evaluated, with particular emphasis on regenerative medicine, based on the therapeutic potential of stem cells (SCs), to facilitate hepatic repair, or even “regrow” livers for transplantation. The aim of this review is to summarize the current body of knowledge on SC-based therapies in hepatology, from the possible cell sources, to their potential clinical applications, to the issues that need to be addressed, to make the promise of regenerative medicine a reality.

KEY WORDS: Human embryonic stem cells - Induced pluripotent stem cells - Umbilical cord - Endothelial progenitor cells - Mesenchymal stromal cells - Hematopoietic stem cells