Deadwood: Stem Cells in Reproduction

Introduction The twenty-first century is the era of stem cell clinical treatment, which has a very broad application prospect. Basic research and clinical application research are very active, but there is still a lack of application research in the field of gynecology and reproduction. With the relaxation of the national policy on stem cell research, it is foreseeable that the spring of stem cell application in the field of gynecology and reproduction will come soon. The spring of the dead wood: the application of stem cell therapy in the field of reproduction As we all know, the 21st century is the era of stem cell clinical treatment. At present, bone marrow stem cell transplantation has become an important method for treating hematological malignant tumors, and neural stem cells, adipose stem cells, and umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells have gradually entered into the clinical stage, and the animal and clinical experiments of such diseases as chronic liver disease, ulcerative colitis, and autoimmune disease are being carried out in full swing. Research is in full swing. However, the clinical application of stem cells in gynecology is still blank. With the relaxation of the national policy on stem cell research, it is foreseeable that the spring of stem cell application in gynecology will come soon. Stem cells are a class of cells with self-renewal and multi-directional differentiation potential, divided into embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are limited in application due to their source, tumorigenicity, immune rejection, and ethical issues; adult stem cells are pluripotent stem cells derived from adult tissues and organs, mainly mesenchymal stem cells, which can be differentiated into cells of other tissues and organs under specific circumstances, and they are the cells that can make a person or an organ “young”, thus they have a wide application prospect. The application of MSCs in the field of obstetrics and gynecology, such as in premature ovarian failure and endometrial repair, is worth looking forward to. Treatment of ovarian failure Ovarian failure seriously affects women’s fertility and physical and mental health. Patients with ovarian failure have lost their ovarian reserve and often require in vitro fertilization (IVF), which involves the use of donor eggs, to conceive a child, which is currently a scarce source of eggs in the clinic. A study took the subcutaneous fat from the groin of mice, extracted fat stem cells, and in the cyclophosphamide-induced premature ovarian failure model of mice, the stem cells were injected intravenously or directly into the bilateral ovaries by microinjection, and both treatments significantly increased the number of follicles and the number of ovulation, and in the stem cell tracking showed that the stem cells were not directly involved in the regeneration of the follicles, and gene and cytokine research suggests that their function may be related to gene expression changes and paracrine regulation. Human endometrial mesenchymal stem cells have also been reported to treat premature ovarian failure in mouse models. Many animal experiments have demonstrated the feasibility of stem cell transplantation for the treatment of premature ovarian failure, but there are no reported cases of stem cell therapy for the treatment of premature ovarian failure in humans. Treatment of endometrial damage Loss of conception due to endometrial damage or adhesions is another clinically problematic issue. Repeated uterine operations, such as abortion and hysteroscopic electrosurgery, can cause scarring of the endometrium or adhesions to the uterine cavity, and an endometrial thickness of 6-7 mm or less is generally considered to be a thin endometrium. The pregnancy success rate of those with thin endometrium is low, and there is a lack of effective clinical treatment. How to reduce the recurrence of uterine adhesions, promote the repair and growth of endometrium, restore normal function, and reduce fibrosis are the hotspots and difficulties in the research related to uterine adhesions and thin endometrium. Stem cell uterine transplantation technology has opened up new ideas for such diseases and is still in the research stage. Recently, several studies have reported that stem cell therapy can improve the endometrial status and promote repair in rat or mouse models of uterine adhesions, showing good therapeutic prospects. In the literature, a mouse endometrial injury model was prepared by scald method, which confirmed that stem cells could colonize normal as well as injured mouse endometrial tissues and could promote the repair of endometrial injury sites in mice. Domestic scholars have tried to use bone marrow stem cells in combination with collagen scaffolds in human beings for the treatment of uterine adhesions and thin endometrium, and have received good results, with a number of cases of infertile subjects suffering from endometrial scarring becoming pregnant, and there have been cases of successful delivery. Although stem cell therapy has a wide range of prospects for application, we should also recognize that stem cells can never cure all diseases, and we should not inappropriately publicize the effects of stem cell therapy and unscientifically carry out the clinical application of stem cells. At present, the isolation, identification and culture technology of mesenchymal stem cells are still not mature enough, and their cytology and molecular biology studies are not yet comprehensive, and it is not guaranteed whether they will cause immune rejection and allergic reactions in the human body, etc. Only by doing sufficient basic research, conducting enough animal tests and standardized clinical trials can stem cell therapy benefit mankind at an early date. Recently, in order to standardize and promote China’s stem cell clinical research, the National Health and Family Planning Commission and the Food and Drug Administration jointly organized and formulated the Measures for the Administration of Stem Cell Clinical Research (Trial), which will help to standardize China’s stem cell-related research and further promote the development of stem cell therapy. Cold ice cannot break the flow of water, and withered wood will spring again. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of medical workers and patients, stem cell therapy can send a spring breeze to the withered trees (ovaries) of women and spread a touch of sunshine to the barren land (uterus).