Clinical efficacy and mechanism of mesenchymal stromal cells in treatment of COVID-19

Several human studies show positive signals, while research methods and sample sizes continue to develop.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly infectious epidemic disease that has seriously affected human health worldwide. To date, however, there is still no definitive drug for the treatment of COVID-19. Cell-based therapies could represent a new breakthrough. Over the past several decades, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have proven to be ideal candidates for the treatment of many viral infectious diseases due to their immunomodulatory and tissue repair or regeneration promoting properties, and several relevant clinical trials for the treatment of COVID-19 have been registered internationally. Herein, we systematically summarize the clinical efficacy of MSCs in the treatment of COVID-19 based on published results, including mortality, time to symptom improvement, computed tomography (CT) imaging, cytokines, and safety, while elaborating on the possible mechanisms underpinning the effects of MSCs, to provide a reference for subsequent studies.

Evidence level

Several human studies show positive signals, while research methods and sample sizes continue to develop.

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