Current perspectives on mesenchymal stem cells as a potential therapeutic strategy for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Table 1 Mesenchymal stem cells treatments for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease/non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in vitro

Cell sources	Passage number	Cell models	Biological effects
Rat BM MSCs	P3-4	HepG2 cells	rMSCs alleviated cellular lipotoxicity and metabolic disturbance, primarily by regulating ER stress and calcium homeostasis via SERCA[34]
Mouse BM MSCs	P5-10	HepG2 cells	mBMSCs restored disordered glucose and lipid metabolism, as well as mitochondrial dysfunction in T2DM/NAFLD[35]
Human UC MSCs derived miR-24-3p	Not reported	Primary hepatocytes	hUC-MSC derived miR-24-3p suppressed lipid accumulation, ROS generation, and inflammatory response through targeting KEAP-1 signaling[37]
Human UC MSCs derived miR-627-5p	P3	L-02 cells	hUC-MSC-derived miR-627-5p improved glucose and lipid metabolism by targeting FTO[39]
Mouse AD MSCs derived miR-223-3p	P2 or above	NCTC1469 cells	mADSC-EV-derived miR-223-3p exhibited suppressive effects on lipid accumulation and liver fibrosis by inhibiting the target gene E2F1[42]
Human MenSCs	P2-3	L-02/AML12 cells	Hepatocyte growth factor secreted by MenSCs in NAFLD promoted hepatic glycogen storage and attenuated lipid accumulation through the downregulation Rnf186[43]
Human UC MSCs derived Exos	Not reported	HepG2/AML12 cells	hUC-MSC-Exos attenuated steatosis in hepatocytes and inhibited oxidative stress in NASH[45]
Mouse AD MSCs	P5-6	Murine hepatocyte cell line H2.35	mADSCs treatment alleviated lipotoxicity-induced apoptosis in steatotic hepatocytes by activating the Notch signaling pathway[46]
Human UC MSCs derived CM	Not reported	L-02 cells	hMSC-CM enhanced liver mitochondrial function while reducing inflammation and apoptosis by upregulating SIRT1[50]
Human UC MSCs derived Exos	P4-7	HepRG cells	hUC-MSC-Exos reduced inflammatory cytokines by inducing macrophage anti-inflammatory phenotypes[59]
Human CB MSCs derived Exos with curcumin	Not reported	HepG2 cells	MSC-Exos with curcumin improved cell viability and inhibited lipogenesis, while the anti-apoptotic pathway involved the downregulation of ASK1, JNK, and BAX genes[63]
Human UC MSC derived Exos	P3-4	L-02/AML12 cells	MSC-Exos inhibit lipid accumulation by promoting the β-oxidation of fatty acids and suppressing fatty acid synthesis[64]

MSCs: Mesenchymal stem cells; BM: Bone marrow; UC: Umbilical cord; AD: Adipose- derived; CB: Cord blood; Exos: Exosomes; EVs: Extracellular vesicles; T2DM: Type 2 diabetes mellitus; MenSCs: Menstrual blood-derived stem cells; mADSCs: Mouse adipose-derived stem cells; NAFLD: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.