Еvaluation of the effectiveness of systemic application of mesenchymal stem cells for induction of immunosuppression in liver transplantation

Objective. To evaluate the efficacy of systemic application of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for induction of immunosuppression in liver transplantation.

Materials and methods. A prospective randomized study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of systemic administration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for immunosuppression induction in liver transplantation. The study included 30 patients: 15 received MSC therapy, 15 received standard immunosuppressive therapy. Systemic administration of MSCs was performed twice: intraoperatively and on the 4th day after transplantation at a dose of 2×10⁶ cells/kg.

Results. MSCs application contributed to faster normalization of biochemical parameters (AST, ALT, bilirubin), reduced incidence of acute rejection (20 % vs 33.3 %), decreased expression of matrix metalloproteinase-10 in the graft, and maintained effective immunosuppression at lower tacrolimus concentrations (3.1 ng/ml vs 4.7 ng/ml). Immunophenotyping confirmed the immunomodulatory effect of MSCs through stimulation of regulatory lymphocyte populations and suppression of effector components of the immune response. Clinically, this resulted in reduced length of stay in the intensive care unit and overall hospitalization duration.

Conclusion. The results demonstrate the safety and efficacy of MSCs as a component of induction immunosuppressive therapy in liver transplantation.

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