Table 2 Main studies on stem cell therapy in NEC
From: Stem cell therapy as a promising strategy in necrotizing enterocolitis
Stem cell type (location) | Main mechanisms | Benefits | Limitations | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
ISCs (Base of intestinal crypts) | Paracrine; other signaling pathways | Regulate intestinal microbiota, mucosal immune response, inflammatory cytokines and cell apoptosis | Over-reliance on the balance between proliferation and differentiation | Kandasamy et al. (2014) |
BM-MSCs (Bone marrow) | Paracrine trophic factors; prolyl hydroxylase 2 silencing | Notably decrease inflammation; improve tissue pathology | Low proliferative ability; effect is affected by donor age | McCulloh et al. (2017b), Weil et al. (2009), Chen et al. (2020), Alves et al. (2012), Kagia et al. (2019), Li et al. (2018) |
AF-MSCs (Amniotic fluid) | COX-2; Wnt; ER stress | Easy to cultivate; enhance clinical translation; prevent ascites; prolong survival; low tumorigenicity | Few clinical trials to assess the safety | McCulloh et al. (2017b), Jensen et al. (2016), Rosner and Hengstschläger (2021), Zani et al. (2014b) |
UC-MSCs (Umbilical cord/umbilical cord blood) | Nitric oxide synthase; hydrogen sulfide | Notably decrease inflammation; improve tissue pathology | Uncertainty of abnormal long-term development | McCulloh et al. (2017b), Jensen et al. (2018), Drucker et al. (2019), Kagia et al. (2019), Prather et al. (2008) |
P-MSCs (Placenta) | Wnt; paracrine effects | Good availability; few ethical problems | Few clinical trials to assess the safety | Weis et al. (2021), Duan et al. (2020), Khalifeh Soltani et al. (2019) |
NSCs (Intestine/amniotic fluid) | ENS; neuronal nitric oxide synthase | Reduce immunological rejection by autologous transplantation; improve intestinal motility | Difficult to separate and cultivate; ineffective IP injection; little improvement in inflammation | Burns and Thapar (2014), McCulloh et al. (2017b), Kagia et al. (2019), Nitkin et al. (2020) |