Table 2.
Comparison of iPSCs, SSCs, and MSCs for treatment of AKI
| Harvest Method | Reprogramming Factors | Differentiation into Kidney Progenitors | Pre-clinical Benefits | Clinical Trial Results | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells | Skin biopsy (provides keratinocytes and fibroblasts) | OCT-4, SOX-2, KLF-4, and/or c-MYC | Ureteric bud cells and podocyte | ●Reduced severity of AKI in rats | None |
| ●Reduced macrophage proliferation in kidney | |||||
| ●Reduced oxidative stress in kidney | |||||
| Spermatogonial Stem Cells | Testis biopsy | Not Applicable | Epithelial cells of the renal tubule and podocytes (via human embryonic like cells) | ●Differentiate into functional renal tubular like cells | None |
| ●Administration to AKI rats reduced serum creatinine levels and reduced necrotic tubules | |||||
| Mesenchymal Stem Cells | Biopsy from bone marrow, cord blood, or fetal membrane | Not Applicable | Renal parenchymal cells, glomerular and tubular epithelial cells, glomerular and tubular interstitial cells | ●Immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects | ●Reduced hospital stay |
| ●Anti-apoptotic | ●Decreased readmission rates | ||||
| ●Mitogenic | ●Prevention of further renal damage | ||||
| ●Lower kidney injury score compared to control |
A summary of the present research regarding stem cell-based therapies for acute kidney injury (AKI). Although many positive outcomes have been observed in pre-clinical settings for the use of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in the treatment of AKI, the current body of research on mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) treatments is more robust. MSC-based therapies are the only stem cell therapies currently in Phase I clinical trials for the treatment of AKI.