Comparison of Intravenous and Topical Injection Administration Mesenchymal Stem Cell Secretome to Restrain Gastrointestinal Anastomosis Leakage: A Review

Intestinal anastomosis is one of the most commonly performed gastrointestinal surgical procedures, especially in emergencies and is commonly performed in elective procedures when resection is performed for benign or malignant lesions of the gastrointestinal tract. One of the important postoperative complications that causes significant morbidity and adversely affects the length of hospital stay is anastomotic leak after gastrointestinal anastomosis. Recently, developments in regenerative medicine applied to gastrointestinal anastomoses show promise for improving anastomotic healing. Recent studies have demonstrated that stem cell-derived secretomes can potentially enhance anastomized tissue regeneration without the safety and ethical limitations of stem cell transplantation. A study showed that the MSC secretome significantly promoted cell proliferation and survival in a dose-dependent manner and resulted in the controlled release of growth factors. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived secretomes have controlled delivery of bioactive factors, and have potential in improving healing of intestinal anastomoses. In this review, we discuss the comparison of the therapeutic effects of the MSC secretome given by topical injection and the MSC secretome injected intravenously in terms of healing and anastomotic resistance.