Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory immune-mediated disease with damage to the skin and other organs, including the cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal tract, and joints. Psoriasis affects up to 11% of the world’s adult population. The disease significantly reduces the patient’s quality of life, and often becomes the cause of mental disorders.
The effectiveness of conventional treatment methods for psoriasis leaves much to be desired. In view of the known anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effect of mesenchymal stem cells, their use in the treatment of psoriasis is considered justified and attracts more and more attention of clinicians.
Several studies have established a relationship between the body’s own mesenchymal stem cells and inflammatory responses in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. The difference between the mesenchymal stem cells of the skin of healthy individuals and patients with psoriasis was established, the latter are characterized by pro-inflammatory activity.
To date, the effectiveness of mesenchymal stem cells has been shown both in experimental and clinical studies. In studies on mice with induced psoriasis, it was shown that cell therapy significantly reduced skin lesions and caused an increase in skin thickness against the background of a decrease in the level of pro-inflammatory blood molecules.
Successful cases of psoriasis treatment in humans through intravenous infusions of mesenchymal stem cells from umbilical cord and adipose tissue are described. Remission in 2 patients treated with umbilical cord tissue mesenchymal stem cells lasted 5 years. A case of 3-year remission in a patient after therapy with gingival mesenchymal stem cells (isolated from gum tissue) is published.
Thus, skin diseases, in the occurrence of which immunological mechanisms are involved, are emerging as one more indication for cell therapy in the framework of clinical studies.
Source: Diotallevi F et al. Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Psoriasis: Systematic Review. Int J Mol Sci https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9740222/
