Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells improve liver function and ascites in decompensated liver cirrhosis patients
Abstract
Decompensated liver cirrhosis (LC), a life-threatening complication of chronic liver disease, is one of the major indications for liver transplantation. Recently, mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transfusion has been shown to lead to the regression of liver fibrosis in mice and humans. This study examined the safety and efficacy of umbilical cord-derived MSC (UC-MSC) in patients with decompensated LC. A total of 45 chronic hepatitis B patients with decompensated LC, including 30 patients receiving UC-MSC transfusion, and 15 patients receiving saline as the control, were recruited; clinical parameters were detected during a 1-year follow-up period. No significant side-effects and complications were observed in either group. There was a significant reduction in the volume of ascites in patients treated with UC-MSC transfusion compared with controls (P < 0.05). UC-MSC therapy also significantly improved liver function, as indicated by the increase of serum albumin levels, decrease in total serum bilirubin levels, and decrease in the sodium model for end-stage liver disease scores. UC-MSC transfusion is clinically safe and could improve liver function and reduce ascites in patients with decompensated LC. UC-MSC transfusion, therefore, might present a novel therapeutic approach for patients with decompensated LC.
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The most common side effect observed was fever, which could be subsided by regular antipyretics.
“The most common side effect observed was fever, which could be subsided by regular antipyretics [287, 292, 300].”
From Mechanisms, efficacy, and future perspectives of cellular-based therapies for liver fibrosis/cirrhosis: focusing on mesenchymal stromal cells (2025) · cites this paper as [300]
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“The most common side effect observed was fever, which could be subsided by regular antipyretics [287, 292, 300].”
- Authors
- Zhang, Z., Lin, H., Shi, M., Xu, R., Fu, J., Lv, J., Chen, L., Lv, S., Li, Y., Yu, S., Geng, H., Jin, L., Lau, G. K. K., & Wang, F.
- Affiliations
- 302 Military Hospital of China (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Wang, Fu‐Sheng
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2012-02-09
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- s2
- Pages
- 112-120
- ISSN
- 0815-9319 (ISSN-L)
- 1440-1746
- OpenAlex
- W1692461747
- Cited by
- 372
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 29 · 2022: 29 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 28 · 2019: 32 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 26 · 2016: 36 · 2015: 31 · 2014: 27 · 2013: 23 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 13.41
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Genetics › Mesenchymal stem cell research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Hepatology › Liver Disease and Transplantation
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Hepatology › Liver physiology and pathology
- Keywords
- human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells, decompensated cirrhosis, ascites, liver function, chronic hepatitis B, MELD score, serum albumin, serum bilirubin, stem cell therapy safety
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Ascites, Bilirubin, Cells, Cultured, China, Female, Humans, Liver, Liver Cirrhosis, Liver Function Tests, Male, Middle Aged, Serum Albumin, Time Factors, Biomarkers, Case-Control Studies, Treatment Outcome, Viral Load, Hepatitis B, Chronic, Recovery of Function, Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation, Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation, Kaplan-Meier Estimate
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