Drug Design, Development and Therapy (Sep 2020)
Challenges for Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Therapy for COVID-19
Abstract
Chenghai Li,1,2,* Hua Zhao,3,4,* Bin Wang5 1Stem Cell Program of Clinical Research Center, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital and People’s Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450003, People’s Republic of China; 2Henan Key Laboratory of Stem Cell Differentiation and Modification, Zhengzhou 450003, People’s Republic of China; 3Reproductive Medicine Institute, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital and People’s Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450003, People’s Republic of China; 4People’s Hospital of Henan University, Zhengzhou 450003, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Neurosurgery, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital and People’s Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450003, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Bin Wang; Chenghai Li Email [email protected]; [email protected]: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic continues and antiviral agents and vaccines are currently under investigation. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapy can be a suitable option for management of patients with COVID-19 at the urgent time of virus outbreak. Currently, MSCs are being explored against the novel infectious disease due to their therapeutic properties of anti-inflammation, immunomodulation and tissue repair and regeneration, albeit the precise mechanisms of MSC action toward COVID-19 remain unclear. To date, rigorous results from clinical trials using MSCs in human have been weakly positive. The pervasive uncertainty of using MSC therapeutic products as an effective combatant against COVID-19 requires rigorous resolution on several fronts, including MSC fate after infusion, safety issue, homing capability, and MSC resistance to the disease microenvironment. Focusing on these facets, a few important ones will be critically analyzed and addressed in this article for the development of safe and effective MSC-based therapies for COVID-19.Keywords: COVID-19, mesenchymal stem cell, immunomodulation, tissue regeneration
