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World J Stem Cells. Sep 26, 2021; 13(9): 1318-1337
Published online Sep 26, 2021. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v13.i9.1318
Mesenchymal stem cells and COVID-19: What they do and what they can do
Ejlal Abu-El-Rub, Ramada R Khasawneh, Fatimah Almahasneh, Zaid Altaany, Nesreen Bataineh, Hana Zegallai, Saravanan Sekaran
Ejlal Abu-El-Rub, Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg R2H2A6, Canada
Ejlal Abu-El-Rub, Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Basic Medical Sciences, Yarmouk University, IRBID 21163, Jordan
Ramada R Khasawneh, Department of Anatomy and Histology, Basic Medical Sciences, Yarmouk University, IRBID 21163, Jordan
Fatimah Almahasneh, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Basic Medical Sciences, Yarmouk University, IRBID 21163, Jordan
Zaid Altaany, Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, Basic Medical Sciences, Yarmouk University, IRBID 21163, Jordan
Nesreen Bataineh, Department of Pathology, Basic Medical Sciences, Yarmouk University, IRBID 21163, Jordan
Hana Zegallai, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg R2H2A6, Canada
Saravanan Sekaran, Department of Pharmacology, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals to be University, Chennai 600077, India
Author contributions: Abu-El-Rub E and Altaany Z conceptualized the review subtopics; Abu-El-Rub E, Khasawneh RR, Almahasneh F, Altaany Z, Bataineh N, Zegallai H and Sekaran S collected the literature used to write the review and drafted the manuscript; Abu-El-Rub E, Almahasneh F and Sekaran S revised and formatted the content of the manuscript and verified spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Authors of this manuscript have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ejlal Abu-El-Rub, PharmD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Shafiq Irshidat st, IRBID 21163, Jordan. ejlal.abuelrub@yu.edu.jo
Received: March 14, 2021
Peer-review started: March 15, 2021
First decision: June 5, 2021
Revised: June 15, 2021
Accepted: August 27, 2021
Article in press: August 27, 2021
Published online: September 26, 2021
Abstract

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exhausted the health systems in many countries with thousands cases diagnosed daily. The currently used treatment guideline is to manage the common symptoms like fever and cough, but doesn’t target the virus itself or halts serious complications arising from this viral infection. Currently, SARS-CoV-2 exhibits many genetic modulations which have been associated with the appearance of highly contagious strains. The number of critical cases of COVID-19 increases markedly, and many of the infected people die as a result of respiratory failure and multiple organ dysfunction. The regenerative potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been extensively studied and confirmed. The impressive immunomodulation and anti-inflammatory activity of MSCs have been recognized as a golden opportunity for the treatment of COVID-19 and its associated complications. Moreover, MSCs regenerative and repairing abilities have been corroborated by many studies with positive outcomes and high recovery rates. Based on that, MSCs infusion could be an effective mechanism in managing and stemming the serious complications and multiple organ failure associated with COVID-19. In the present review, we discuss the commonly reported complications of COVID-19 viral infection and the established and anticipated role of MSCs in managing these complications.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Mesenchymal stem cells, Inflammation, Acute respiratory distress syndrome, Pulmonary fibrosis, Pneumonia, Renal injury, Cardiovascular diseases, Regeneration, Anti-inflammatory

Core Tip: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues its rampant spread as more vengeant strains emerged in many countries. Severe cases of COVID-19 have been complicated by respiratory failure and multiple organ dysfunction with high mortality rate. Mesenchymal stem cells regenerative and anti-inflammatory abilities can be an innovative approach in repairing the damaged organs and improve the survival rate for critically ill COVID-19 patients.