Role of stem cells in the management of acute kidney disease

Background and aim Renal failure is usually treated by hemodialysis forever. Renal transplantation is the only curative intervention. However, regenerative therapies are expected to exert a beneficial role in such situations. The aim of this study was to study the role of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the treatment of acute renal failure (ARF) in an animal model. Materials and methods ARF was induced by cisplatin injection in 20 male rats weighing 200–225 g. Rats were allocated into one of two equal groups: group A included 10 rats with ARF and umbilical cord-derived stem cell treatment, and group B included 10 rats with saline treatment. In addition, 10 healthy rats were included as a healthy control group (group C). Both serum urea and creatinine were measured after induction of renal failure and on the 7th and 15th day after MSC treatment. Kidney sections were obtained, stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and examined histologically. Results Serum urea and creatinine showed marked elevation after cisplatin injection. These values progressively decreased with MSC treatment significantly. At the end of the second week, the values were near normal. In addition, histological examination of renal section confirms the results obtained by laboratory analysis. Conclusion Umbilical cord-derived MSCs could play a regenerative action in ARF.