title: Mesenchymal stem cell therapy for inflammatory bowel diseases: promise and challenge.
abstract: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a complicated disease that arises as a consequence of the interaction among environment, genetic factors and autoimmunity. Available therapeutic interventions with pharmacological or biological drugs have a very selective action. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been emerging as a promising cellular therapy for the treatment of IBD due to their multifaceted functions. This article summarizes recent progress in both preclinical studies and clinical trials employing MSCs in IBD treatment. We justify the use of MSC-based cell therapy as a novel strategy for IBD, discuss the biological roles that MSCs play underlying their therapeutic effects focusing on their immune-suppressive effects, illustrate methods to improve MSCs for better repair, and pinpoint the obstacles hindering their success and the challenges to overcome before their ultimate application.
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ke
authors.forename: Huang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Biao
authors.forename: Liu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qianqian
authors.forename: Sun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yunwei
authors.affiliation: Lui Che Woo Institute of Innovative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. xjiang@cuhk.edu.hk.
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiaohua
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D014945:Wound Healing