Efficiency of mesenchymal stem cells in treatment of urinary incontinence: a systematic review on animal models.

Abstract

AIM: In recent years, the administration of stem cells has been considered a new option for treatment of urinary incontinence (UI). In the present study, the efficiency of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation in the treatment of UI was evaluated. METHODS: Combinations of the key words 'mesenchymal stem cells', 'MSCs', 'urinary incontinence', 'urethral sphincter' and 'involuntary urination' were searched in PubMed and Science Direct databases. Following application of exclusion criteria to the 1946 papers obtained and review and duplicate articles were removed, 23 articles were considered further. The search was limited to the animal model studies. RESULTS: The data obtained from the evaluation of different studies indicated that the injected MSCs play an important role in the neovascularization and the recovery of muscle cells in UI models through the paracrine process. CONCLUSION: The obtained data suggested that further trials are needed to be focused on clinical phase of MSC therapy on the patients affected by UI.