Mesenchymal Stem Cells Can Alleviate Tuberculosis Infection and Transmission

Abstract

Joseph DeSimone, Vincent S Gallicchio

Mesenchymal stem cells are increasingly becoming a topic of interest for their breadth of treatment for a range of complications in the medical field. Their unique abilities to restore damaged tissue and modulate various aspects of the immune system are understood, and more studies continue to reveal other therapeutic aspects. Some studies have begun to focus on their potential as a treatment for Tuberculosis, a complex disease caused by a population of bacteria in host tissue environments. There is currently no cure for this disease, which has developed resistance to a range of drugs over the course of history, and a novel therapeutic is required in order to effectively treat and eventually eradicate the disease. In this paper, we discuss the potential immunomodulatory and tissue-repairing effects of mesenchymal stem cells that hint to their efficacy as a treatment for the disease. We also consider the reality of distributing this advanced therapeutic to regions of the world where Tuberculosis is most prevalent. Based on these countries’ political and economic infrastructures and the emergence of other disease, mesenchymal stem cells may not be a treatment that can realized soon to treat those most affected by Tuberculosis.

PDF