Cell Therapy In Critical Limb Ischemia Research Articles

Autologous Stem Cell Therapy in Critical Limb Ischemia: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Objective Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is the most dangerous stage of peripheral artery disease (PAD). Many basic researches and clinical treatment had been focused on stem cell transplantation for CLI. This systematic review was performed to review evidence for safety and efficacy of autologous stem cell therapy in CLI. Methods A systematic literature search was performed in the SinoMed, PubMed, Embase, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Cochrane Controlled Trials Register databases from building database to January 2018. Results Meta-analysis showed that cell therapy significantly increased the probability of ulcer healing (RR = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.45–2.06), angiogenesis (RR = 5.91, 95% CI = 2.49–14.02), and reduced the amputation rates (RR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.46–0.76). Ankle-brachial index (ABI) (MD = 0.13, 95% CI = 0.11–0.15), TcO2 (MD = 12.22, 95% CI = 5.03–19.41), and pain-free walking distance (MD = 144.84, 95% CI = 53.03–236.66) were significantly better in the cell therapy group than in the control group (P < 0.01). Conclusions The results of this meta-analysis indicate that autologous stem cell therapy is safe and effective in CLI. However, higher quality and larger RCTs are required for further investigation to support clinical application of stem cell transplantation.

Cell Therapy for Critical Limb Ischemia: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Early-phase trials showed the feasibility and potential efficacy of cell therapy in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI). For systematic review, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of cell therapy versus no cell therapy in CLI were searched from PubMed and the Cochrane library databases. Outcome measures included major amputation, complete ulcer healing, ankle-brachial index (ABI), and all-cause mortality. Data were pooled using 16 RCTs, involving 774 patients. Compared with no cell therapy, cell therapy significantly reduced major amputation (odds ratio [OR]: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.34-0.87:P= .01) and improved ulcer healing (OR: 2.90; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.44-5.82;P< .01) and ABI (OR: 5.91; 95% CI: 1.85-18.86:P< .01). Peripheral blood-derived mononuclear cells (PB-MNCs; OR: 0.29; 95% CI: 0.12-0.72;P< .01) and bone marrow concentrate (OR: 0.44; 95% CI: 0.21-0.93;P= .03) significantly lowered the risk of major amputation. The PB-MNCs also significantly increased ulcer healing (OR: 5.77; 95% CI: 1.77-18.87;P< .01). All-cause mortality was similar in both groups (OR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.44-1.40;P= .41). However, all estimates were nonsignificant following reanalysis using placebo-controlled RCTs only. Cell therapy remains a potential therapeutic option in CLI, but further larger placebo-controlled RCTs are needed.

Abstract 25: Critical Limb Ischemia Progression is Associated with an Inflammatory Profile

Background: Patients with Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI) have a high risk of amputations and mortality. We hypothesize that inflammation is involved in atherosclerotic disease progression. In this study we investigate whether levels of plasma cytokines are associated with disease progression in CLI. Methods: Data were collected from a randomized controlled trial cohort investigating cell therapy for CLI (the JUVENTAS study) from 2006 to 2012. The primary outcome measures were major amputation and mortality at 6 months; secondary outcomes included Ankle/Brachial Index (ABI) and Transcutaneous O2 Pressure. Plasma was collected at inclusion in the study and a panel of cytokines consisting of GROa, HGF, LIF, SCF, SCGFb, SDF1a, TRAIL, IL-6, IL-8, FGFb, GCSF, GMCSF, IP10, MCP1, PDGFbb, RANTES, TNFa and VEGF was measured and evaluated for predictive power. Results: Data on 108 patients was collected with a follow-up of 6 months. Patients who underwent a major outcome had significantly higher levels of IL-6, IL-8 and GROa (p=0.0004, 0.006 and 0.009 resp.). Univariate Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that amputation-free survival was 94.4% in the lowest tertile, 74% in the middle tertile and 64% in the highest tertile of plasma IL-6 levels (p=0.009, Fig A). Adjustment for potential confounders in multivariate Cox proportional hazards models showed that IL-6 remained independent predictor of major outcome. The ROC of a model using Il-6 as single predictor for major outcomes is 0.73 (Fig. B) Conclusion: Plasma levels of inflammatory cytokines, in particular IL-6 are associated with disease progression in CLI and can serve as an independent predictor of amputation-free survival.

CD34陽性細胞移植による血管・組織の再生治療

CD34 is a cell surface marker, which is expressed in various somatic stem/progenitor cells such as bone marrow (BM)-derived hematopoietic stem cells and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), skeletal muscle satellite cells, epithelial hair follicle stem cells, and adipose tissue mesenchymal stem cells. CD34+ cells in BM and peripheral blood are known as a rich source of EPCs; therefore, therapeutic application of BM-derived CD34+ cells has been attempted for vascular regeneration in cardiovascular diseases. Preclinical and early clinical studies of BM or granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF)-mobilized CD34+ cell therapy revealed promising outcomes with regard to safety, feasibility, and potential efficacy in critical limb ischemia (CLI) by atherosclerosis obliterans or Buerger’s disease, acute myocardial infarction, chronic myocardial ischemia (refractory angina), and dilated cardiomyopathy. Our research group is now preparing for a phase III clinical trial of CD34+ cell therapy in CLI on the basis of previous phase I/II and phase II trials. Recently, CD34+ cell therapy has also been applied to non-healing fractures and decompensated liver cirrhosis, in which reduced blood supply is a key factor associated with disease progression. Both preclinical and pilot clinical investigations indicated the safety, feasibility, and effectiveness of GCSF-mobilized CD34+ cell therapy in these non-cardiovascular diseases. This review provides an overview of the preclinical and clinical reports to demonstrate the usefulness, current limitations, and future prospects of cell-based therapy in various types of diseases.

GM-CSF treated F4/80+ BMCs improve murine hind limb ischemia similar to M-CSF differentiated macrophages.

Novel cell therapy is required to treat critical limb ischemia (CLI) as many current approaches require repeated aspiration of bone marrow cells (BMCs). The use of cultured BMCs can reduce the total number of injections required and were shown to induce therapeutic angiogenesis in a murine model of hind limb ischemia. Blood flow recovery was significantly improved in mice treated with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-dependent BMCs that secreted inflammatory cytokines. Angiogenesis, lymphangiogenesis, and blood flow recovery ratio were significantly higher in the GM-CSF-cultured F4/80+ macrophage (GM-Mø)-treated group compared with controls. Furthermore, Foxp3+ cell numbers and tissue IL-10 concentrations were significantly increased compared with controls. There was no significant difference in blood flow recovery between GM-Mø and M-CSF-cultured F4/80+ macrophages (M-Mø). Thus, GM-Mø were associated with improved blood flow in hind limb ischemia similar to M-Mø. The selective methods of culturing and treating GM-Mø cells similar to M-Mø cells could be used clinically to help resolve the large number of cells required for BMC treatment of CLI. This study demonstrates a novel cell therapy for CLI that can be used in conjunction with conventional therapy including percutaneous intervention and surgical bypass.

Mesenchymal stromal cells for the treatment of critical limb ischemia: context and perspective.

Cell therapy using mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) is a promising new avenue of treatment for critical limb ischemia (CLI). Preclinical studies have suggested that MSCs enhance neovascularization in ischemic limbs. In this commentary, we discuss a recent study by Gupta and colleagues, one of the first human trials using allogeneic MSCs for CLI, in relation to the current state of knowledge regarding cell therapy for CLI.

Safety and Efficacy of Autologous Cell Therapy in Critical Limb Ischemia: A Systematic Review

Researchers have accumulated a decade of experience with autologous cell therapy in the treatment of critical limb ischemia (CLI). We conducted a systematic review of clinical trials in the literature to determine the safety and efficacy of cell therapy in CLI. We searched the literature for clinical trials of autologous cell therapy in CLI, including observational series of five or more patients to accrue a large pool of patients for safety analysis. Safety analysis included evaluation of death, cancer, unregulated angiogenesis, and procedural adverse events such as bleeding. Efficacy analysis included the clinical endpoints amputation and death as well as functional and surrogate endpoints. We identified 45 clinical trials, including seven RCTs, and 1,272 patients who received cell therapy. The overall adverse event rate was low (4.2%). Cell therapy patients did not have a higher mortality rate than control patients and demonstrated no increase in cancer incidence when analyzed against population rates. With regard to efficacy, cell therapy patients had a significantly lower amputation rate than control patients (OR 0.36, p = 0.0004). Cell therapy also demonstrated efficacy in a variety of functional and surrogate outcomes. Clinical trials differed in the proportion of patients with risk factors for clinical outcomes, and these influenced rates of amputation and death. Cell therapy presents a favorable safety profile with a low adverse event rate and no increase in severe events such as mortality and cancer and treatment with cell therapy decreases the risk of amputation. Cell therapy has a positive benefit-to-risk ratio in CLI and may be a valuable treatment option, particularly for those challenging patients who cannot undergo arterial reconstruction.

Rationale and design of the JUVENTAS trial for repeated intra-arterial infusion of autologous bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells in patients with critical limb ischemia

Critical limb ischemia (CLI) continues to form a substantial burden on Western healthcare. Many patients still face amputation as a last treatment option. Autologous bone marrow (BM)-derived cell administration has emerged as a potential new treatment, but proof for sustainable clinical effects of BM-derived cell therapy in CLI is still lacking. The JUVENTAS (reJUVenating ENdothelial progenitor cells via Transcutaneous intra-Arterial Supplementation) trial is the first randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical trial on repeated intra-arterial BM mononuclear cell (MNC) infusion in 110 to 160 CLI patients, designed to provide definite proof for the efficacy of stem cell therapy. Primary outcome is the incidence of major amputation at 6 months. Inclusion of patients is well underway. If BM-MNC cells therapy is beneficial, it could become a novel treatment to prevent amputation in patients with CLI.

Design and rationale of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III study for autologous bone marrow cell transplantation in critical limb ischemia: the BONe Marrow Outcomes Trial in Critical Limb Ischemia (BONMOT-CLI)

Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is the end-stage of peripheral artery disease. Only about two thirds of patients with CLI can be revascularised, one third progresses to leg amputation with high associated morbidity and mortality. Therapeutic angiogenesis with bone marrow cells has shown promising improvement in less severe stages of peripheral ischemia. Our study evaluates the therapeutic value of bone marrow cell induced angiogenesis and arteriogenesis in severe, limb-threatening ischemia. the BONe Marrow Outcome Trial in Critical Limb Ischemia (BONMOT-CLI) is a investigator-initiated, double-blinded, 1:1 randomized, placebo-controlled multi-centre study at 4 sites in Germany. Only patients with no option for revascularisation or after failed revascularisation will be included. A total of 90 patients is to be included. One arm with 45 subjects will be treated with a concentrate of autologous bone marrow cells which will be injected at 40 sites into the ischemic limb. In the placebo arm, study subjects will undergo a sham bone marrow punction and 40 saline injections. At three months, a combined primary endpoint of major amputation or persisting critical limb ischemia (no clinical or perfusion improvement) will be evaluated. Secondary endpoints are death, changes in perfusion, quality of life, walking distance, minor amputations, wound healing, collateral density and cancer incidence. Post-study follow-up is up to two years. The results of this first randomized placebo-controlled trial for autologous bone marrow cell therapy in CLI will clarify the value of this new therapeutic modality in a patient population with no other alternatives except major amputation.