Progress and prospect of mesenchymal stem cell-based therapy in atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the arterial intima, occurring usually in the aged populations who are suffering from hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes for a long time. Research on atherosclerosis has shown that macrophage foam cell formation, inflammation, dyslipidemia and immune cells infiltration are all involved in regulating the onset and progression of atherosclerosis. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) originated from different kinds of tissue are a group of cells possessing well-established self-renewal and multipotent differentiation properties as well as immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory roles. Recent studies have displayed their dyslipidemia regulation functions. Transplantation of MSCs to atherosclerotic patients might be a new multifactorial therapeutic strategy to improve atherosclerosis. This review updates the advancement on MSCs and atherosclerosis.