Bowel ischemia is a group of syndromes of various etiologies, in which there is a reduced blood flow to the tissues of the intestines, or occlusion of their vessels. Bowel ischemia is manifested by pain, bloody stool, diarrhea. The disease develops mainly in middle-aged and older people with concomitant cardiovascular pathology. The incidence of intestinal ischemia has increased significantly in recent years, the danger of the disease is the rapid development of symptoms and high mortality.
Umbilical cord blood stem cells are considered as a method of auxiliary treatment of intestinal ischemia, as they have anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory effects and do not cause rejection reactions.
In the case of ischemic diseases, the body’s compensatory capabilities depend on its ability to build collateral (bypass) blood circulation to restore blood supply to an organ experiencing reduced blood flow. Stem cells have this effect. They are able to transform into vascular precursor cells, and also produce biologically active substances that stimulate angiogenesis (growth of new vessels). The positive effect of using umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells in the treatment of intestinal ischemia has been shown by many studies. The advantage of umbilical cord blood stem cells is also their low immunogenicity, that is, they are less likely to cause rejection reactions than cells from adult donors.
In patients with intestinal ischemia who received umbilical cord blood, a significant positive effect of cell therapy was noted, shorter hospitalization time (9.55 ± 3.12 days compared to 11.75 ± 3.63 in the control group). Abdominal pain, diarrhea, and bloody stool were diagnosed much less often in the group receiving cell therapy. The positive clinical effect of cell therapy was also confirmed by a colonoscopic study. Side effects of umbilical cord blood stem cells were not noted.
The authors consider the mechanisms of the therapeutic action of cord blood mononuclear cells in intestinal ischemia to be:
- transient tissue hyperemia after transplantation, which provides better blood supply to the affected organ;
- stimulation of angiogenesis;
- wound-healing effect;
- anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory effect.
The described clinical study was conducted by Chinese scientists, the results were published in March 2024 in the scientific journal Scientific Reports (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38480861/).
In Ukraine, the Institute of Cell Therapy also has significant positive experience in the use of cord blood stem cells and perinatal tissues (umbilical cord, placenta) in the treatment of acute and chronic surgical pathology. In cooperation with the state institution “National Institute of Surgery and Transplantology n.a. OO Shalimov”, Kyiv, a clinical study was conducted in which mesenchymal stem cells were used in patients with diseases of the peripheral arteries of the lower extremities. Together with the National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education n.a. PL Shupyk of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, umbilical cord blood stem cells and umbilical cord tissue transplants, cryopreserved by ICT Cryobank, were successfully used in the treatment of patients with acute inflammation of the pancreas and pancreatic necrosis (https://parentsguidecordblood.org/en/news/novel-treatment-pancreonecrosis-using-cord-blood-and-cord-tissue). It was reported about the successful use of cell preparations of the Institute of Cell Therapy in cardiac surgery, in particular, in Ukraine, for the first time in the world, placenta stem cells were intracardially injected (https://stemcellbank.org.ua/vpervye-v-mire-stvolovye-kletki-placenty-obrabotannye-v-ikt-vosstanovili-beznadezhno-porazhennoe-serdce/). The Institute of Cell Therapy has also developed a method of treating gunshot and mine-explosive wounds using the amniotic membrane obtained from the placenta.
