Stem Cell Transplantation in the Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: From Insulin Replacement to Beta-Cell Replacement

Overview

Journal Front Endocrinol (Lausanne)

Specialty Endocrinology

Date 2022 Apr 4

PMID 35370989

Authors

Xin-Xing Wan

Dan-Yi Zhang

Md Asaduzzaman Khan

Sheng-Yuan Zheng

Xi-Min Hu

Qi Zhang

Rong-Hua Yang

Kun Xiong

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is an autoimmune disease that attacks pancreatic β-cells, leading to the destruction of insulitis-related islet β-cells. Islet β-cell transplantation has been proven as a curative measure in T1DM. However, a logarithmic increase in the global population with diabetes, limited donor supply, and the need for lifelong immunosuppression restrict the widespread use of β-cell transplantation. Numerous therapeutic approaches have been taken to search for substitutes of β-cells, among which stem cell transplantation is one of the most promising alternatives. Stem cells have demonstrated the potential efficacy to treat T1DM by reconstitution of immunotolerance and preservation of islet β-cell function in recent research. cGMP-grade stem cell products have been used in human clinical trials, showing that stem cell transplantation has beneficial effects on T1DM, with no obvious adverse reactions. To better achieve remission of T1DM by stem cell transplantation, in this work, we explain the progression of stem cell transplantation such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), and bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells (BM-HSCs) to restore the immunotolerance and preserve the islet β-cell function of T1DM in recent years. This review article provides evidence of the clinical applications of stem cell therapy in the treatment of T1DM.

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