Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for rheumatic diseases

Mesenchymal stem cell therapy (MSCT) is an innovative treatment for rheumatic diseases. Underlying mechanism of how MSCT works in rheumatic diseases are still uncertain and with various hypotheses. Animal studies in MSCT show conflicting results mainly attributed by the differences in administration methods of MSCT, types of MSC use and randomization procedures. Human studies of MSCT are so far small scale but with satisfactory results in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Human studies of MSCT, however, showed less rewarding results in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic sclerosis (SSc). Larger scale studies are needed to confirm the efficiency of MSCT as well as the safety profile in human use.