Mesenchymal Stem Cell-based Therapy for COVID-19: Possibility and Potential.

Xiong, Jing; Bao, Lei; Qi, Hongbo; Feng, Zhichun; Shi, Yuan

A novel coronavirus, named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has emerged in Wuhan, China since the end of December 2019 and has quickly spread all over the world in a matter of two months. To date, no specific treatment has been proven to be effective for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). With the rapid increase of infected patients and deaths, it is urgent to explore an effective treatment for COVID-19. Current studies suggest that there exists cytokine storm in SARS-CoV-2-infected patient, some of the patients will develop to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and multiple organ dysfunction, even death. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) possess the property of immunomodulation. Given the previous preclinical and clinical studies, MSCs therapy has been shown safety and efficacy in the treatment of respiratory failure or ARDS. Based on similar principles, MSCs therapy may also be an effective therapy in the treatment of COVID-19. In this study, we summarized the clinical outcomes of MSCs for ARDS patients in some preclinical and clinical studies, and discussed the application of MSCs for patients with COVID-19 in China and the related important issues with MSCs use during the outbreak.