Table 1.
Characteristics of the studies included in this meta-analysis.
| Author, year | Study type | Basic regimen | Patient characteristics | MSC | MSC dose | Infusion | Endpoint | Adverse events | Effectiveness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yang, 2014 | RCT | GC+CTX | Refractory SLE | UC-MSC | 3 × 107, once | IV | SLEDAI, proteinuria, Scr, serum albumin, C3, C4 | — | Yes |
| Zeng, 2016 | RCT | GC+MMF | II-IV type of LN | UC-MSC | 1 × 106/kg, 3-5 times | Renal artery | SLEDAI, proteinuria, Scr, serum albumin, C3, C4, BUN | — | Yes |
| Tang, 2016 | RCT | GC+MMF+CTX | IV type of LN | UC-MSC | 5 × 107, twice | IV | SLEDAI, proteinuria | T (n = 2): 1 case with upper respiratory tract infection, 1 case of right thigh abscess; C (n = 1): 1 case with upper respiratory tract infection | No |
| Deng, 2017 | RCT | GC+CTX | IV type of LN | UC-MSC | 2 × 108 | IV | Proteinuria, Scr | T (n = 2): one with leucopenia and pneumonia together with subcutaneous abscess. Another with severe pneumonia; C (n = 2): one patient with stroke and another with ascites of unknown cause | No |
| Gu, 2014 | Self-control | GC+CTX/MMF | Refractory SLE | BM-MSC, UC-MSC | 1 × 106/kg, once | IV | SLEDAI, proteinuria, Scr, BUN | Enteritis, diarrhea, transient increase of serum creatinine, herpes virus infection. But, none of them were considered to be related to MSC infusion | Yes |
| Zhu, 2016 | Self-control | GC+CTX/MMF | Refractory SLE | UC-MSC | 5 × 107, twice | IV | SLEDAI, Scr, BUN, C4 | Adverse event was not found | Yes |
| Li, 2016 | Self-control | GC+CTX | III-IV type of LN or with type V | UC-MSC | 1 × 106/kg-2 × 106/kg, 4 times | IV | SLEDAI, proteinuria, Scr, C3, C4 | Two cases of fever, 2 cases of diarrhea, 1 case of vomiting, 1 case of pruritus | Yes |
| Qiu, 2016 | Self-control | GC+CTX/MMF | Refractory SLE | UC-MSC | 1 × 106/kg, once | IV | SLEDAI, proteinuria, C3 | Adverse event was not found | Yes |
| Bai, 2017 | Self-control | GC+CTX/MMF | Refractory SLE | UC-MSC | 1 × 106/kg, 3-5 times | IV | SLEDAI, proteinuria, C3, C4 | One patient with headache, nausea, and vomiting during each stem cell infusion | Yes |
| Wen, 2019 | Self-control | GC+CTX/MMF/LEF/HCQ | Refractory SLE | BM-MSC, UC-MSC | 1 × 106/kg, once | IV | SLEDAI | — | Yes |
Note: RCT: randomized controlled trail; BM-MSC: bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells; UC-MSC: umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells; TAC: tacrolimus; GC: glucocorticoids; CTX: cyclophosphamide; IV: intravenous; MMF: mycophenolate mofetil; HCQ: hydroxychloroquine; LEF: leflunomide; SLE-DAI: systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index; LN: lupus nephritis; T: MSC group; C: control group.