Mesenchymal stem cell therapy for liver fibrosis need “partner”: Results based on a meta-analysis of preclinical studies

Table 1 The mechanism of mesenchymal stem cells combined with different drugs to improve the therapeutic effect of liver fibrosis

Ref.	Type of MSCs	Combination drugs	Mechanism
Ouyang et al[17], 2010	BM-MSCs	Salidroside	Promoting MSCs differentiation; the expression of TGF-β1 was inhibited
Chai et al[7], 2013	BM-MSCs	Oxymatrine	Regulating the inflammatory microenvironment
Motawi et al[22], 2014	BM-MSCs	Simvastatin	Attributed to their effect on the MMPs/TIMPs balance
Hammam et al[16], 2016	WJ-MSCs	Praziquantel	Promoting the differentiation of MSCs into functional hepatocytes
Jang et al[19], 2018	BM-MSCs	Simvastatin	Inhibition of TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway
Fathy et al[13], 2020	AT-MSCs	Eugenol	Inhibition of TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway
Mazhari et al[12], 2020	BM-MSCs	Imatinib	Blocking PDGF signaling pathway
El-Monem et al[14], 2021	BM-MSCs	Nano curcumin	Reducing TGFβ1 levels and attenuating the expression of Smad 2,3 and collagen I, III genes
Qiao et al[23], 2011	PD-MSCs	Baicalin	Promoting the differentiation of MSCs into functional hepatocytes
Iwasawa et al[20], 2021	BM-MSCs	Juzentaihoto	Inducing the production of Treg cells and anti-inflammatory macrophages
Zhang et al[15], 2022	BM-MSCs	Ferulic acid	Inhibition of HSCs activation
Rafiq et al[21], 2022	BM-MSCs	Melaton	Promoting MSCs homing
Slautin et al[18], 2024	PD-MSCs	Fucoxanthin	Decreasing the proinflammatory cytokine levels, TGF-β level, α-SMA+, TIMP-1+ areas and increasing HGF level, MMP-13+, and MMP-9+ areas

MSCs: Mesenchymal stem cells; WJ-MSCs: Wharton’s jellied mesenchymal stem cells; BM-MSCs: Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells; AT-MSCs: Adipose mesenchymal stem cells; PD-MSCs: Placental mesenchymal stem cells; HSC: Hematopoietic stem cell; PDGF: Platelet-derived growth factor; TGF-β: Transforming growth factor beta; α-SMA: Alpha-smooth muscle actin; TIMP-1: Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1; HGF: Hepatocyte growth factor; MMP: Matrix Metalloproteinase.