Stem Cell Therapies: A Review of Current Therapeutic Approach for Inflammation-Associated Sigmoid Colon Diseases

Chronic inflammation is the single major contributor to the pathogenesis of sigmoid colon inflammatory diseases such as segmental colitis associated disease and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Existing conventional anti-inflammatory treatments have not proven to be a sufficient long-term solution for management of symptoms due to the immunosuppressive nature of these agents. Stem cell (SC) transplantation is a novel approach to treatment that could improve the prognosis of IBD patients in the long term by preventing inflammation, restoring defective immune balance, and promoting mucosal healing. Multiple studies have shown that bone marrow SC, mesenchymal SC (MSC), and most recently intestinal SC (ISC) have had marked success in improving immune functionality in cases of IBD. Effects of bone marrow SC did not show the kind of longevity that researchers initially anticipated, leading them to instead pursue thorough study of MSC. The tolerogenic effects of MSC have proven them to be a key player in the development of SC therapy; however, their exact mechanism of action has yet to be fully characterised. Due to existing discrepancies in the data detailing the association between MSC and colorectal cancer risk, ISC have since become of interest with the intention of finding a more reliable alternative source of SC. Preliminary studies have shown that ISC may be capable of achieving the same immunomodulatory effects as MSC but with reduced colorectal cancer risk, suggesting them to be the most promising new method of treating inflammatory-based sigmoid colon diseases under study thus far.