2023, Vol. 27 ›› Issue (1): 138-144

Effect of urine-derived stem cells and their exosomes on kidney diseases

Guo Yujun, Lu Wenjun, Yang Shulong, Li Zhaozhu   

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Urine-derived stem cells, newly found mesenchymal stem cells in urine, have the abilities of self-renewal and multi-differentiation. Because urine-derived stem cells originate from urinary system, and kidneys are the most possible origin, whose diseases are close to where urine-derived stem cells intrinsically reside, urine-derived stem cells and their exosomes may have special effects on kidney diseases compared with other types of mesenchymal stem cells.
OBJECTIVE: To review bio-characteristic of urine-derived stem cells and their exosomes and their applications in kidney diseases so as to provide new ideas for the treatment of clinical kidney diseases.
METHODS: PubMed database was searched using the English key words of “urine-derived stem cell*, urine-derived stromal cell*, urine-derived mesenchymal stem cell*, urine-derived mesenchymal stromal cell*, urine-derived progenitor cell*, kidney diseases, acute kidney injury, diabetic nephropathies, kidney failure, chronic, tissue engineering, organoids”. CNKI database was searched using the Chinese key words of “urine-derived stem cells, acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, diabetic nephropathy, tissue engineering, organoids”. The publication date was set from January 2000 to October 2021. Thirty-one articles were involved in the review after manually screening according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria.  
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Urine-derived stem cells are characterized by features that mesenchymal stem cells commonly present. Additionally, urine-derived stem cells serve as an efficacious interference and seed-cells in the treatment of kidney diseases. (2) Urine-derived stem cells and their exosomes have the ability of ameliorating functional and histological injury, inhibiting inflammation, cell apoptosis and oxidative stress of kidneys in animals and cell models of acute kidney injury. In chronic kidney diseases and diabetic nephropathy, urine-derived stem cells and their exosomes can delay deterioration of renal function and histopathology manifestation, inhibit infiltration of inflammatory cells and fibrosis of the tissue and protect podocytes. Furthermore, urine-derived stem cells and exosomes serve as a promising interference in the field of kidney tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. (3) Although these researches are in primary stage, substantial potentials of urine-derived stem cells and their exosomes are sighted, and they are expected to become an efficient stem cell-based therapy for kidney diseases in the future.
Key words: mesenchymal stem cell, urine-derived stem cell, exosome, kidney disease, review