Yin and Yang of mesenchymal stem cells and aplastic anemia

Table 1 Criteria for severe aplastic anemia[1]

Peripheral blood, CBC findings
Granulocytes	< 500/cu mm
Platelets	< 20000/cu mm
Reticulocytes	< 1%
Bone marrow biopsy findings
Hypoplasia	< 25% of normal cellularity
	25%-50% of normal cellularity with < 30% hematopoietic cells

Table 2 Summary of the clinical uses of mesenchymal stem cells in aplastic anemia

Treatment	Intervention	Goal (s) of therapy	Outcome
MSC as adjunct to HCT	MSCs given in conjunction with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation	To prevent graft failure or shorten time to engraftment	Improved donor engraftment
MSC as monotherapy	MSCs given alone	For primary treatment of AA	Partial response in some patients

MSC: Mesenchymal stem cell; AA: Aplastic anemia; HCT: Hematopoietic cell transplantation.