Potential of stem cells in the treatment of rheumatic disease

Int. J. Clin. Rheumatol. (2014) 9(2), 183–195 ISSN 1758-4272 Autoimmune diseases represent the failure of normal immune regulatory processes, characterized by activation and expansion of immune cell subsets in response to nonpathogenic stimuli, that are derived from self-antigens. In the last few decades, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation emerged as a rescue therapy for different, severe, refractory autoimmune diseases. The rationale for this therapeutic strategy in autoimmune diseases is the ablation of an aberrant, self-reactive immune system by chemotherapy, and the regeneration of a new and self-tolerant immune system from by transplanted stem cells. In the last few decades, thousands of patients worldwide have received hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, mostly autologous, as treatment for a severe autoimmune disease with promising results. In this review, the authors report the recent available progresses about potential therapeutic role of stem cells in autoimmune diseases.