Systemic administration of human umbilical cord‑derived mesenchymal stem cells effectively ameliorates the outcomes of a critically ill elderly patient with COVID‑19 with multiple comorbidities: A case report

Chen,Hongjun; Zhang,Leisheng; He,Zhixu; Wang,Dali; Liu,Lili; Zhang,Wei; Chen,Tao; Dai,Zhihua; Han,Zhongchao; Chen,Miao

doi:10.3892/wasj.2020.70

Systemic administration of human umbilical cord‑derived mesenchymal stem cells effectively ameliorates the outcomes of a critically ill elderly patient with COVID‑19 with multiple comorbidities: A case report

Authors:
- Hongjun Chen
- Leisheng Zhang
- Zhixu He
- Dali Wang
- Lili Liu
- Wei Zhang
- Tao Chen
- Zhihua Dai
- Zhongchao Han
- Miao Chen
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Affiliations: Department of Intensive Care Unit, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou 563003, P.R. China, Jiangxi Research Center of Stem Cell Engineering, Jiangxi Health‑Biotech Stem Cell Technology Co., Ltd., Shangrao, Jiangxi 334000, P.R. China, Department of Pediatrics, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou 563006, P.R. China, Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou 563003, P.R. China, Cerebrovascular Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou 563003, P.R. China, Stem Cell Bank of Guizhou Province, Guizhou Health‑Biotech Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Guiyang, Guizhou 550000, P.R. China
Published online on: October 1, 2020 https://doi.org/10.3892/wasj.2020.70
Article Number: 29
Copyright: © Chen et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) has spread worldwide and has become a public health emergency, principally due to the severe inflammatory response and cytokine storm, as well as the deficiency of specific vaccines and antiviral drugs. Despite the fact that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are acknowledged to possess unique immunomodulatory capabilities and have promising prospects in regenerative medicine, the efficacy of the use of MSCs on critically ill elderly patients with COVID‑19 is largely obscure. In the present study, a 75‑year‑old male patient critically ill with COVID‑19 was enrolled with multiple concomitant diseases, including hypertension (for >10 years), diabetes and coronary heart disease (for >1 year). Systemic infusions of 5x10⁷ human umbilical cord‑derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (hUC‑MSCs) were accomplished through intravenous injection every 3 days for 3 times following the consents of the patient and the relevant ethics committee. The clinical and functional outcomes, including general symptoms, vital signs, hemogram, chest radiography and the disease score, together with inflammatory factors and SARS‑CoV‑2 nucleic acid detection, were observed and dynamically recorded for 1 month. With the aid of hUC‑MSC administration, the severe COVID‑19‑associated symptoms of the elderly patient, and in particular, pneumonia and the cytokine storm were continuously ameliorated. Moreover, the outcomes of multiple concomitant diseases were improved, whereas no deterioration and secondary infections, such as fever and allergic reaction were observed. The present study thus indicated that hUC‑MSC administration can ameliorate the outcomes of patients with COVID‑19. This type of treatment may prove to be an ideal alternative option for the treatment of patients with COVID‑19, even for critically ill elderly patients with multisystemic complications.

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