Effectiveness and safety of human umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus
Xiao-fen Lian, Dong-Hui Lu, Hongli Liu, Yan‐Jing Liu, Xiu-Qun Han, Yang� Yang, Yuan Lin, Qingxiang Zeng, Zhengjie Huang, Feng Xie, Cai-Hao Huang, Hongmei Wu, Ai-Mei Long, Ling-Ping Deng, Fan Zhang
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Progressive pancreatic β-cell dysfunction is a fundamental part of the pathology of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Cellular therapies offer novel opportunities for the treatment of T2DM to improve the function of islet β-cells. AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of human umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cell (hUC-MSC) infusion in T2DM treatment. METHODS: cells/kg per week for 3 wk as intravenous hUC-MSC infusion. The effectiveness was evaluated by assessing fasting blood glucose, C-peptide, normal glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), insulin resistance index (homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance), and islet β-cell function (homeostasis model assessment of β-cell function). The dosage of hypoglycemic agents and safety were evaluated by monitoring the occurrence of any adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: < 0.01]. The dosage of hypoglycemic agents was reduced in all patients, of whom 6 (50%) had a decrement of more than 50% and 1 (6.25%) discontinued the hypoglycemic agents. Four patients had transient fever, which occurred within 24 h after the second or third infusion. One patient (2.08%) had asymptomatic nocturnal hypoglycemia after infusion on day 28 ± 3. No liver damage or other side effects were reported. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that hUC-MSC infusion can improve glycemia, restore islet β-cell function, and reduce the dosage of hypoglycemic agents without serious AEs. Thus, hUC-MSC infusion may be a novel option for the treatment of T2DM.