ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:Orthotopic liver transplantation is the most effective therapy for the treatment of end-stage liver diseases, but the lack of donor source, immune rejection, and repeated infections limit its application. Stem celltransplantation technology provides a new idea for the treatment of end-stage liver diseases. A variety of methods have been confirmed to successful y induce umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells converted into liver cells in vitro. OBJECTIVE:To explore the clinical efficacy and feasibility of human umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells transplantation in the treatment of decompensated cirrhosis. METHODS:Twenty-three patients with decompensated cirrhosis received al ogeneic human umbilical cord blood mononuclear celltransplantation. Serum alanine aminotransferase, albumin, cholinesterase, total bilirubin and prothrombin time were detected at post-transplantation weeks 2, 4, 8 and 24. Improvement in clinical signs and symptoms as wel as adverse reactions was observed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Liver function had no changes at 2 weeks after human umbilical cord blood mononuclear celltransplantation (P>0.05). At 4 weeks after celltransplantation, serum alanine aminotransferase was improved significantly (P<0.05), but the other indexes stil had no changes. Until 12 weeks after celltransplantation, there were significant improvements in al the liver function indicators (P<0.05) and the liver stiffness (P<0.05). By the end of 24 weeks, al the test results were improved significantly (P<0.01). Clinical symptoms were al eviated, including fatigue improvement in 20 cases (87%), improved appetite in 21 cases (91%), and relieved ascites in 19 cases (83%). No severe adverse reactions were found during the transplantation and 24-week fol ow-up. These findings suggest that human umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells transplantation is effective and safe for the treatment of decompensated cirrhosis, which can be considered as a clinical therapy for patients with advanced cirrhosis.