Research status of mesenchymal stem cell therapy for COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 is rapidly and continuously spreading globally, posing a great threat to human life and health. It is urgent to find a safe and effective treatment. Studies have found that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have powerful immunoregulatory and anti-inflammatory functions. They can mitigate and repair lung injury caused by the excessive immune response to the virus and reduce the risk of cytokine storm syndrome (CSS) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), by regulating the function of immune cells, reducing the secretion of inflammatory factors, upregulating the anti-inflammatory factors and secreting a variety of cell growth factors. In addition, MSCs are also characterized by abundant sources, easy access, low immunogenicity, no ethical controversy, the ability to target chemotaxis in damaged tissues, and virus resistance. Therefore, it is considered an effective way to treat COVID-19. In this article, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of MSCs in the treatment of COVID-19 and its possible mechanism. © 2021, Editorial Board of Medical Journal of Wuhan University. All right reserved.