Molekularbiologie: Open Access

Current Perspectives of Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Therapy for Treating Autoimmune Diseases

Abstract

Pavan Rajanahalli, Jeremy R Pearson, Caroline V Da Silva and Padmanabhan Mahadevan

Multipotent adult stem cells have been promoted and utilized in the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases (AD) are nquestionably debilitating, not only by diminishing quality of life, but also these disorders significantly reduce life span. To date, prevalent drug treatments acting to curb AD seem to be ineffective, thus there is a critical need to find alternative treatments. Stem cells derived from the umbilical cord blood and tissue, bone marrow, adipose, amniotic fluid, placental, and dental pulp have been recently used for treating some of these diseases. Here we highlight the current use of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSC) on Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Type I Diabetes, and Psoriasis.