A Review on Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Their Function in Response to Infection

Self-renewal, multipotent, and immunomodulatory are properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that make them a good candidate for cell therapy. Recently, MSCs and their secretions are considered in control of infectious disease. MSCs can recognize pathogens, migrate to infection site, and fight against them by redirecting immune responses and anti-microbial peptide secretion. In this review, the therapeutic role of MSCs in infectious disease is discussed. In this review article, we searched MSCs, interaction of MSCs and immune cells, MSCs in infection, and MSCs therapy in infectious disease as key words in valid databases including PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Google scholar. Finally, 100 articles were selected and reviewed completely. According to the studies, MSCs therapy is a promising method for control of infectious disease. MSCs interact with both host immune systems and pathogen. The result of this interaction is inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses, secretion of antimicrobial peptides, and influence on the differentiation and function of immune cells. Positive and negative effects of MSCs in the direction of immune response depend on the number of injections, infection phase, and stimulation of MSCs receptors. Therefore, comprehensive studies are needed to represent effective therapeutic protocols for any infectious disease.