Stem cell therapy: An emerging modality in glomerular diseases

In the human body kidney is one special organ which is highly terminally differentiated and has very limited capacity to regenerate following injury/ insult. Hence once glomerular diseases set in, they usually progress to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) requiring dialysis or renal transplantation (RT) for better quality of life. However shortage of implantable kidneys and complications of transplantation like immune rejection immunosuppression related morbidity/ mortality, including immunocompromised status, metabolic disorders, infections and malignancies, RT remains a challenge. Therapeutic options available for management of glomerular diseases include symptomatic treatment strategies to delay progression to ESRD. Stem cell-based therapy (SCT) forms recent innovative therapeutic modalities for such diseases due to its ability to inhibit inflammation, replenish dying tissues/ cells and promote regeneration. This review focuses on SCT for treatment of glomerular diseases, including various cell sources used and recent advances in preclinical and clinical studies.