Short‐term evaluation of autologous transplantation of bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stem cells in patients with cirrhosis: Egyptian study

BACKGROUND: Stem cell-based therapy has received attention as a possible alternative to organ transplantation. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of autologous transplantation of bone marrow (BM)-derived stromal cells in post-HCV liver cirrhosis patients. METHODOLOGY: 10 × 10(6) of isolated human bone marrow (HBM)-stromal cells in 10 mL normal saline were injected in the spleen of 20 patients with end-stage liver cirrhosis guided by the ultrasonography, and then patients were followed up on monthly basis for six months. RESULTS: A statistically significant decrease was detected in the total bilirubin, aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT) (p-value<0.01), prothrombin time (PT), and international normalized ratio (INR) levels (p-value<0.05), while a statistically significant increase in the albumin and PC (p-value<0.05) after follow-up. CONCLUSION: This study suggested the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of the intrasplenic injection of autologous BM stromal cells in improving liver function in Egyptian patients with cirrhosis.