Chronic liver diseases (CLD) affect hundreds of millions of patients worldwide. Stem Cells (SCs) therapy to treat chronic liver diseases is resorted and is considered as the dream of the future. SCs are undifferentiated cells capable of renewing themselves throughout their life and of generating one or more types of differentiated cells. Different types of SCs with hepatic differentiation potential are theoretically eligible for liver cell replacement. These include Embryonic and fetal liver SCs, induced pluripotent SCs, hepatoblasts, annex SCs (pluripotent SCs obtained from umbilical cord and umbilical cord blood, placenta and amniotic fluid), and adult SCs, such hepatic progenitor cells, hematopoietic SCs, and mesenchymal stem cell. The optimal SCs delivery route should be easy to perform, less invasive and traumatic, minimum side effects, and with high cells survival rate. Liver SCs can be transplanted through several routes: Intraperitoneal and percutaneous intrahepatic artery catheterization in acute liver failure, and umbilical vein catheterization, percutaneous intrahepatic route, and portal vein or intrahepatic artery catheterization in metabolic liver diseases. Whatever the source or delivery route of SCs, how they can be manipulated for therapeutic interventions in a variety of hepatic diseases is of course of great interest in future studies.
Stem cells are actively and successfully used to treat liver disease.
Cirrhosis is the severe scarring of the liver and poor liver function seen at the terminal stages of chronic liver disease. The scarring is most often caused by long-term exposure to toxins such as alcohol or viral infections. The liver is located in the upper right side of the abdomen below the ribs. It has many essential body functions…
Hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses (HCV) are frequently propagating blood borne pathogens in global community. Viral hepatitis is primarily associated with severe health complications, such as liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, hepatic fibrosis and steatosis…