Liver Diseases

The digestive system, which consists of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, pancreas, and biliary tree, functions in digestion, absorption, and metabolism and affects the basis of life. Various diseases, including cancer, inflammatory disease, infection, stones, and ulcers, are studied under the context of gastroenterology. While innovative drugs against Helicobacter pylori hepatitis C virus, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have recently been developed, there are still unmet needs in this field, including in acute and chronic liver failure and refractory IBDs. Cell therapy may fulfill these unmet needs, and cell therapies using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have become a major focus in many fields. MSCs are reported to have multiple functions, especially anti fibrosis and anti-inflammatory effects are focused in acute and chronic liver failure and refractory IBDs. Furthermore, MSCs have low immunogenicity, can expand easily, and can be obtained from medical waste, suggesting their potential to expand regenerative medicine for the treatment of liver diseases and IBDs. (Reference; Clinical trials using mesenchymal stem cells in liver diseases and inflammatory bowel diseases; Inflammation and Regeneration201737:16)