Although the liver has some capacity for regeneration, it is still possible to injure it beyond its ability to repair itself. When it is repeatedly or continuously damaged (e.g. from prolonged alcohol use), it tries to repair itself by forming scar tissue. When this scar tissue becomes widespread, the liver’s ability to regenerate becomes severely limited. This extensive scarring, called cirrhosis, is irreversible in most cases, and the patient ends up needing a liver transplant.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) naturally “home” to damaged areas in the body, where they trigger healing processes: in patients with liver disease, they can reduce tissue damage and stimulate repair and regeneration. Several clinical trials have shown stem cell transplantation to be effective for diseases including liver cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver tumors. In 2020, a systematic review of 24 different clinical trials found stem cell therapy to be superior to conventional treatments in restoring liver function and improving patient survival. MSC therapy, in particular, is regarded as a safe and promising strategy for the treatment of various liver diseases.
