Chronic skin inflammatory diseases, including atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis, are considered uncontrolled responses to systemic inflammation.
Characterized by swelling, irritation, and rash chronic skin inflammatory disease, these common skin inflammatory diseases are estimated to affect 25% of the population, with AD and psoriasis being the most common form of the disease.
Recent methods used to treat AD and psoriasis have been based on inhibition, not regulation, of the condition. Over time, these methods of treatment can result in a number of side effects and drug resistance.
Considering that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been used to treat a number of immune diseases, Yang et al. believe they present as a promising treatment for chronic skin inflammatory disease. As part of this review, the authors discuss the therapeutic effects of MSCs on AD and psoriasis, provide clinical evaluation of the administration of MSCs, and present a comprehensive vision for the application of MSCs in future research and treatment.
AD and psoriasis are known to be systemic and immune-allergic inflammatory skin diseases caused primarily by the imbalance between pro- and anti-inflammatory factors. MSCs play a role in regeneration and immunomodulation and their function in skin lesions present in these conditions could provide important information about their biological function in the diseases.
Considering that inflammation related to both AD and psoriasis begins at the MSC level, a treatment designed to address abnormal MSCs can potentially improve the pathogenesis of these diseases. While this method appears promising, the authors point out that the therapeutic methods designed to treat lesions associated with MSCs have yet to be determined and treating skin inflammatory disease with these improved MSCs requires further clinical study.
The authors also highlight the potential benefit of preconditioning MCSs as a way to improve the immune regulation capacity in treating a range of immune diseases. Specifically, precondition MSCs have been shown to alleviate allergic inflammation in keratinocytes and reduce inflammation in the skin through the JAK-STAT pathway.
While the benefits associated with preconditioning MSCs for this purpose require further research, Yang et al. believe that preconditioning MSCs with inflammatory factors can more effectively treat skin inflammatory diseases.
In addition to showing the benefits of MSC therapy when treating AD and psoriasis, the authors of this review also point out some limitations associated with the application of MSCs. These limitations include the need for double-blind placebo-controlled studies to indicate the potential clinical application of MSCs in AD and psoriasis and issues with the production and cost of MSCs not being able to reach the standard (making it difficult to translate into clinical treatment).
Despite these limitations, the application of MSCs has shown to be more effective in treating AD and psoriasis than other options that are currently available.
Yang et al. conclude that the advancing technology for administering MSCs and their capability of regeneration, immunomodulation, and differentiation have made them a promising strategy for the treatment of skin inflammatory diseases. The authors also call for additional studies to further uncover the mechanisms of the therapeutic effects of MSCs in AD and psoriasis to help better define therapeutic strategies for treating these diseases.
Source: Yang J, Xiao M, Ma K, Li H, Ran M, Yang S, Yang Y, Fu X and Yang S (2023) Therapeutic effects of mesenchymal stem cells and their derivatives in common skin inflammatory diseases: Atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. Front. Immunol. 14:1092668. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1092668
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