Cell Therapy for the Treatment of Metabolic Liver Disease: An Update on the Umbilical Cord Derived Stem Cells Candidates

Cell therapy has emerged as an attractive alternative to orthotopic liver transplantation for the treatment of liver disease. Among the potential candidates, umbilical cord derived stem cells are of particular interest owing to greater proliferation potential and low immunoreactivity. Previous reports permit to distinguish different cell types that could be generated from cord blood, vessels and cord matrix itself. Wharton Jelly's derived umbilical cord stem cells and cord- blood derived mesenchymal stem cells have demonstrated a potential to differentiate into endodermal lineage, including hepatocyte-like cells. In addition, recent studies have underlined their potential to alleviate liver fibrosis and express liver metabolic functions in rodent models. The present review focuses on the current knowledge on in vitro and in vivo use of these cells for liver cell therapy. We discuss the general characteristics homology between hepatic and umbilical cord derived stem cells and the results of hepatocyte-like differentiation attempts. We finally address the question of future application of these cells for the treatment of liver disease.