Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Oct 27;22(21):11592.
doi: 10.3390/ijms222111592.

Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Madina Sarsenova  1   2 , Assel Issabekova  2 , Saule Abisheva  3   4 , Kristina Rutskaya-Moroshan  3   4 , Vyacheslav Ogay  2 , Arman Saparov  1
Affiliations
Review

Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Madina Sarsenova et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have great potential to differentiate into various types of cells, including but not limited to, adipocytes, chondrocytes and osteoblasts. In addition to their progenitor characteristics, MSCs hold unique immunomodulatory properties that provide new opportunities in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, and can serve as a promising tool in stem cell-based therapy. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disorder that deteriorates quality and function of the synovium membrane, resulting in chronic inflammation, pain and progressive cartilage and bone destruction. The mechanism of RA pathogenesis is associated with dysregulation of innate and adaptive immunity. Current conventional treatments by steroid drugs, antirheumatic drugs and biological agents are being applied in clinical practice. However, long-term use of these drugs causes side effects, and some RA patients may acquire resistance to these drugs. In this regard, recently investigated MSC-based therapy is considered as a promising approach in RA treatment. In this study, we review conventional and modern treatment approaches, such as MSC-based therapy through the understanding of the link between MSCs and the innate and adaptive immune systems. Moreover, we discuss recent achievements in preclinical and clinical studies as well as various strategies for the enhancement of MSC immunoregulatory properties.

Keywords: cell preconditioning; cell therapy; immunomodulation; inflammation; mesenchymal stem cells; rheumatoid arthritis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Immunomodulatory effects of mesenchymal stem cells and their secreted factors in rheumatoid arthritis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Different approaches to enhance immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties of MSCs in RA.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Aletaha D., Smolen J.S. Diagnosis and management of rheumatoid arthritis: A review. JAMA. 2018;320:1360–1372. doi: 10.1001/jama.2018.13103. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Myasoedova E., Davis J., Matteson E.L., Crowson C.S. Is the epidemiology of rheumatoid arthritis changing? Results from a population-based incidence study, 1985–2014. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 2020;79:440–444. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2019-216694. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Firestein G.S., McInnes I.B. Immunopathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Immunity. 2017;46:183–196. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2017.02.006. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Smolen J.S., Aletaha D., Barton A., Burmester G.R., Emery P., Firestein G.S., Kavanaugh A., McInnes I.B., Solomon D.H., Strand V., et al. Rheumatoid arthritis. Nat. Rev. Dis. Primers. 2018;4:18001. doi: 10.1038/nrdp.2018.1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Guo Q., Wang Y., Xu D., Nossent J., Pavlos N.J., Xu J. Rheumatoid arthritis: Pathological mechanisms and modern pharmacologic therapies. Bone Res. 2018;6:1–14. doi: 10.1038/s41413-018-0016-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms