The COVID-19 pandemic, which broke out in 2019, has claimed more than 7 million lives, more than 2 million of them in Europe. Attempts to use mesenchymal stem cells to treat severe pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 began in the first months of the outbreak. After all, these cells have a pronounced anti-inflammatory and regenerative effect, and their sources are quite accessible. These are umbilical cord, placenta, bone marrow, adipose tissue, and others. Although severe forms of COVID-19 are currently much less common, outbreaks of infection with new forms of SARS-CoV-2 continue to be recorded in different parts of the world.
In December 2024, in the scientific journal Regenerative Therapy, Mohsen Ghiasi et al. published a review article summarizing the methods of treating COVID-19 using stem cells and their exosomes developed to date. The latter are small vesicles derived from cells containing biologically active substances secreted by mesenchymal stem cells. In addition to the well-known anti-inflammatory effects of mesenchymal stem cells, the authors also note their antimicrobial effect.
The article collects information on 19 clinical studies on the treatment of COVID-19 with mesenchymal stem cells or their derivatives. The sources of cell preparations were umbilical cord, umbilical cord blood, and adipose tissue. The authors emphasize the therapeutic role of cytokines and various proteins produced by mesenchymal stem cells capable of inhibiting excessive activation of the immune system in severe cases of COVID-19. The authors note that an effective method of treating severe forms of COVID-19 has not yet been developed, but drugs based on mesenchymal stem cells can be considered promising candidates.
Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352320424000476
In Ukraine, the Institute of Cell Therapy in cooperation with Kyiv City Clinical Hospital No. 4 and State Institution “Institute of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases n.a. Gromashevsky LV of NAMS of Ukraine” also developed and clinically tested a method of treating severe forms of pneumonia in COVID-19 using mesenchymal stem cells from the umbilical cord and placenta. Patients with complications of COVID-19 were administered cell preparations of mesenchymal stem cells, manufactured by the biotechnology laboratory of the Institute of Cell Therapy in accordance with international standards. Thanks to the innovative treatment, it was possible to reduce significantly the degree of the inflammatory process during the first two weeks and significantly decrease the level of fibrotic degeneration of the lungs. The results of studies by Ukrainian scientists in this area have been repeatedly published in the international peer reviewed journals, in particular the International Journal of Molecular Sciences and Biomedical Reports.
