Mesenchymal stem cell therapy for premature ovarian insufficiency: progress and challenges.
Shao Z., Liang L., Xue Y., Zhu T., Wen Q.
Narrative Review, published in J Ovarian Res (2026) — summary generated from the PubMed abstract.
Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.
- 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
This page is generated from the PubMed record. The Thai description is an automated summary of bibliographic fields and the abstract, not a full translation, and is not medical advice.
- Study type
- Narrative Review
- Journal
- J Ovarian Res (2026)
- Country
- England
- Reported sample size
- —
- Source database
- PubMed
- PMID
- 41634747
- PMCID
- PMC12964609
- DOI
- 10.1186/s13048-026-01976-4
- Citations
- 1
Abstract (original English)
Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), particularly chemotherapy-induced ovarian failure (CIOF), severely compromises the reproductive and endocrine health of young women. Current fertility-preserving strategies, such as cryopreservation and hormone therapy, fail to restore endogenous ovarian function, underscoring the urgent need for regenerative solutions. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as a leading platform to address this challenge. This review synthesizes evidence on MSCs derived from diverse sources—including bone marrow, adipose tissue, umbilical cord, and menstrual blood—and evaluates their therapeutic potential. Preclinical studies consistently demonstrate that MSC transplantation restores follicular reserves and hormonal homeostasis, primarily via paracrine mechanisms. MSCs secrete growth factors and exosomes enriched with regulatory microRNAs (e.g., miR-21, miR-126) that inhibit apoptosis, promote angiogenesis, and activate pro-survival pathways such as PI3K–Akt in injured ovaries. While early clinical data are encouraging, significant translational challenges remain, including inefficient homing, source-dependent variability, and safety concerns such as tumorigenicity. Advanced approaches—such as cell-free exosome-based therapies and engineered biomaterials—are under development to enhance efficacy and safety. A concerted effort to standardize protocols,
What this study does not prove
- • This study does not prove SVF is an approved treatment or a replacement for standard care.
- • This is a narrative review: it collects no new patient data and does not systematically appraise evidence quality.
Evidence level
Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.
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