title: Therapeutic Effects of Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Patients with Chronic Liver Diseases: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
abstract: Based on their ability to differentiate into multiple cell types including hepatocytes, the transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been suggested as an effective therapy for chronic liver diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety, efficacy and therapeutic effects of MSCs in patients with chronic liver disease through a literature-based examination. We performed a systematic review (SR) and meta-analysis (MA) of the literature using the Ovid-MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases (up to November 2014) to identify clinical studies in which patients with liver diseases were treated with MSC therapy. Of the 568 studies identified by the initial literature search, we analyzed 14 studies and 448 patients based on our selection criteria. None of the studies reported the occurrence of statistically significant adverse events, side effects or complications. The majority of the analyzed studies showed improvements in liver function, ascites and encephalopathy. In particular, an MA showed that MSC therapy improved the total bilirubin level, the serum albumin level and the Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score after MSC treatment. Based on these results, MSC transplantation is considered to be safe for the treatment of chronic liver disease. However, although MSCs are potential therapeutic agents that may improve liver function, in order to obtain meaningful insights into their clinical efficacy, further robust clinical studies must be conducted to evaluate the clinical outcomes, such as histological improvement, increased survival and reduced liver-related complications, in patients with chronic liver disease.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Nursing Science, Keimyung University, College of Nursing, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Gaeun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Cell Therapy and Tissue Engineering Center, Yonsei University, Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.
authors.forename: Young Woo
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Eom
authors.affiliation: Cell Therapy and Tissue Engineering Center, Yonsei University, Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea. ; Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University, Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.
authors.forename: Soon Koo
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Baik
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Nursing Science, Keimyung University, College of Nursing, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Yeonghee
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University, Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.
authors.forename: Yoo Li
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University, Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.
authors.forename: Moon Young
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University, Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Ok
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.affiliation: Institute of Occupation and Environmental Medicine, Yonsei University, Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.
authors.forename: Sei Jin
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000166:cytology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*
keywords: Chronic Liver Diseases; Mesenchymal Stem Cells; Meta-analysis; Systematic Review