The role of adipose stem cells in inflammatory bowel disease: From biology to novel therapeutic strategies

Inflammatory bowel diseases are an increasing phenomenon in western countries and in growing populations. The physiopathology of these conditions is linked to intestinal stem cells homeostasis and regenerative potential in a chronic inflammatory microenvironment. Patients with IBD present an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC), or colitis associated cancer (CAC). Conventional treatment for IBD target the inflammatory process (and include anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs) with biological agents emerging as a therapeutic approach for non-responders to traditional therapy. Conventional treatment provides scarce results and present severe complications. The intestinal environment may host incoming stem cells, able to engraft in the epithelial damaged sites and differentiate. Therefore, stem cell therapies represent an emerging alternative in inflammatory bowel diseases, with current investigations on the use of haematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells, in particular adipose stem cells, apparently fundamental as regenerators and as immune-modulators. Here, we discuss stem cells in intestinal homeostasis and as therapeutic agents for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases.