Current Stem Cell Research & Therapy
Title: Contribution of Stem Cells to Kidney Repair Volume: 4 Issue: 1
Author(s): Benedetta Bussolati, Peter Viktor Hauser, Raquel Carvalhosa and Giovanni Camussi
Aliation:
Cattedra di Nefrologia, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Ospedale Maggiore S. Giovanni Battista, Corso Dogliotti 14, 10126 Torino, Italy.,Italy
Keywords: Models of renal disease, renal injury, renal repair, mesenchymal stem cells, cell therapy, renal regeneration
Abstract: A current explanation for development of chronic renal injury is the imbalance between injurious mechanism and regenerative repair. The possibility that stem cells contribute to the repair of glomerular and tubular damage is of great interest for basic and translational research. Endogenous bone marrow-derived stem cells have been implicated in the repair of renal tissue, although the lineage of stem cells recruited has not been determined. If endogenous bone marrow- derived stem cells repopulate injured nephrons directly or act indirectly over a paracrine/endocrine mechanism remains also controversial. Therapeutic administration of exogenous bone marrow derived stem cells in animal models of acute renal injury suggests that a stem cell-based therapy may improve the recovery of both glomerular and tubular compartments. Whereas the therapeutic benet of sorted hematopoietic stem cells remains uncertain, several studies showed a benecial effect of mesenchymal stem cell administration in models of acute tubular injury and of endothelial progenitors in acute glomerular injury. Recent studies demonstrate the presence of resident stem cells within the adult kidney. These cells are capable, when injected in animals with acute tubular injury, to localize to renal compartments and contribute to regeneration. This review summarizes the current literature on the physiological role of endogenous stem cells in renal regeneration and on the therapeutic potential of exogenous stem cell administration. Moreover, critical points that still need clarication, such as the homing mechanisms of stem cells to injured tissue, the secreted factors underlying the paracrine/endocrine mechanisms and the long-term behaviour of in vivo administered stem cells, are discussed.
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