ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is a pandemic around the world, and its treatment options often fail to achieve ideal results. There is a lot of controversy in the treatment of COVID-19 with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The study aims to assess the safety and efficacy of mesenchymal treatment of new coronary pneumonia. METHODS: We manually searched electronic databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science until 25th July 2022, and Stata 15.0 (StataCorpLLC: College Station, TX, USA) was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: A total of 8 randomized controlled trials were included, involving a total of 345 people, of which 180 were in the MSCs group and 165 were in the placebo group. The analysis results showed that MSCs can reduce mortality in COVID-19 patients compared to placebo [RR (Risk Ratio) = 0.56, 95% CI (Confidence Interval) (0.36, 0.89); p = 0.003]. There was no significant difference between the mesenchymal stem cell group and the placebo group in the incidence of adverse reactions [RR = 0.64, 95% CI (0.34, 1.18); p = 0.281]; In the SpO2/FiO2 (Oxygen Saturation/Fraction of Inspiration O2) [WMD (Weighted Mean Difference) = 9.07, 95% CI (-38.01, 56.15); p = 0.080]; In ICU (Intensive Care Unit) stay [WMD = -1.66, 95% CI (-7.23, 3.91); p = 0.131]. CONCLUSIONS: Mesenchymal stem cells can reduce the mortality of COVID-19 patients.