Unlocking the versatile potential: Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells in ocular surface reconstruction and oculoplastics

Table 1 Studies included from literature about mesenchymal stem cells applications in ocular and periocular reconstructive surgery

Therapy	Model	Outcomes	Ref.
hP-MSCs	Corneal alkali burn in mice	Subconjunctival administration of MSCs exerted anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects in the cornea, anterior uvea, and retina after corneal alkali burn	Chen et al[50], 2023
Adipose-derived MSCs	Corneal alkali burn in rabbits	Subconjunctival administration of MSCs significantly decreased corneal neovascularization and improved re-epithelialization	Hussein Abed et al[51], 2022
Nanofiber scaffolds seeded with MSCs	Corneal alkali burn in rabbits	Topical application of MSCs growing on nanofiber scaffolds reduced oxidative stress in the cornea, apoptotic cell death, and decreased matrix metalloproteinase levels as well as the induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines, accelerating wound healing	Cejkova et al[52], 2013
Polysaccharide hydrogel combined with MSCs	Corneal alkali burn in rats	Subconjunctival injections of MSCs increased TGF-β and reduced the expression of TNF-α, MIP-1α, and MCP-1 and suppressed VEGF and MMP-2 expression in alkali-injured corneas. These effects were significantly enhanced by polysaccharides	Ke et al[53], 2015
modIGF1-engineered adipose-derived MSCs	Human injured cornea and in-vitro	Subconjunctival injection of MSCmodIGF1 treatment could achieve the most extensive recovery of corneal morphology and function when compared not only with simple MSCs but also IGF-1 protein eyedrops, which was reflected by the healing of corneal epithelium and limbus, the inhibition of corneal stromal fibrosis, angiogenesis, and lymphangiogenesis, and also the repair of corneal nerves	Yu et al[54], 2023
Human adipose-derived MSCs	LSCD in rats	Topical application of human adipose-derived MSCs epithelial-like cells, via mesenchymal-epithelial transition, recovered the corneal epithelium from epithelial defect associated with LSCD	Bandeira et al[55], 2020
Human adipose-derived MSCs	Corneal alkali burn in rats	Topical treatment with human adipose-derived MSCs improved ocular surface healing contributing to re-epithelization with less inflammatory cells and limited fibroblast activation structure compared with the control eyes	Zeppieri et al[56], 2013
Adipose-derived MSCs secretome	In-vitro	The secretome of adipose-derived MSCs can inhibit TGF-β-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition in human corneal epithelial cells	Shibata et al[57], 2019
Human MSCs	Cornea transplantation in mice	Intravenous injections of hMSCs improve the survival of corneal allografts without engraftment and primarily by secreting TSG-6 which acts by aborting early inflammatory responses	Oh et al[58], 2012
Allogeneic adipose-derived MSCs	Dry eye in a canine model	Adipose-derived MSCs around lacrimal glands have been found as an effective therapeutic alternative to treat dogs with dry eye disease. Implanted cells were well tolerated and were effective in reducing clinical signs of dry eye with a sustained effect during the study period	Villatoro et al[59], 2015
Adipose-derived MSCs	Humans with dry eye disease	Injection of allogeneic adipose-derived MSCs into the lacrimal glands is a safe and feasible treatment for patients with severe aqueous-deficient dry eye disease	Møller-Hansen et al[60], 2021
Adipose-derived MSCs	Oculoplastic surgery	The identification and characterization of endogenous stem cell populations in the eye makes it possible to obtain specific tissues through induced pluripotent stem cell differentiation, permitting their use in transplants for oculoplastic surgery	Daniel et al[49], 2016
Adipose-derived stem cell	Application in plastic surgery	Clinical applications of adipose-derived MSCs are broadly ranged; the ease of cell harvest and high yield with minimal donor-site morbidity make them an ideal cell source. Additionally, the multi-lineage potential of these cells demonstrates the significant opportunities they present within the field of tissue engineering	Naderi et al[61], 2017
Stem-cell therapy	Application in plastic and aesthetic surgery	Stem cell-associated therapies are widely used because of their potential for self-renewable and multipotent differentiation ability. Stem cells have become more attractive for aesthetic uses and plastic surgery, including scar reduction, breast augmentation, facial contouring, hand rejuvenation, and anti-aging. The current preclinical and clinical studies of stem cells for aesthetic uses also showed promising outcomes	Tran et al[42], 2023

MSC: Mesenchymal stem cell; TGF-β: Transforming growth factor beta; TNF-α: Tumor necrosis factor alpha; MIP-1α: Macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha; MCP-1: Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1; VEGF: Vascular endothelial growth factor; MMP-2: Mucous membrane pemphigoid; IGF-1: Insulin-like growth factor-1; LSCD: Limbal stem cell deficiency; hMSC: Human mesenchymal stem cell; TSG-6: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha-stimulated gene/protein-6; modIGF1: Insulin-like growth factor-1 modRNA; hP-MSCs: Human placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cell.