UCSF

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are well known for their immunomodulatory capabilities. In particular, their immunosuppressive property is believed to permit their allogeneic or even xenogeneic transplantation into immunocompetent recipients without the use of immunosuppressants. Adipose-derived stem cell (ADSC), owing to its ease of isolation from an abundant tissue source, is a promising MSC for the treatment of a wide range of diseases. ADSC has been shown to lack major histocompatibility complex-II expression, and its immunosuppressive effects mediated by prostaglandin E2. Both preclinical and clinical studies have shown that allogeneic transplantation of ADSCs was able to control graft-versus-host disease. In regard to xenotransplantation a total of 27 preclinical studies have been published, with 20 of them performed with the investigators' intent. All 27 studies used ADSCs isolated from humans, possibly due to the wide availability of lipoaspirates. On the other hand, the recipients were mouse in 13 studies, rat in 11, rabbit in 2, and dog in 1. The targeted diseases varied greatly but all showed significant improvements after ADSC xenotransplantation. For clinical application in human medicine, ADSC xenotransplantation offers no obvious advantage over autotransplantation. But in veterinary medicine, xenotransplantation with porcine ADSC is a practical alternative to the costly and inconvenient autotransplantation.