Progress in Stem Cell, 1(6), p. 260-268, 2019
Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease in which the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin due to the destruction of b -cells or the body does not utilize insulin properly. Continuous fluctuation of blood glucose levels is responsible for prolonged complications such as diabetic nephropathy (DN), diabetic retinopathy, or diabetic cardiomyopathy. Approximately, 20-30% of all diabetic patients face DN, which causes the formation of diabetic glomerular lesions and reduced glomerular filtration rate. In the case of renal failure, kidney transplantation is the only available therapy, however, it is expensive and almost unattainable due to unavailability of donors and host immune rejection. Stem cells are an alternative and attractive source of therapy because of their proliferative nature and the ability to produce distinct specialized cells. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which are derived from bone marrow, possess an anti-inflammatory property and the ability of selfrenewal and differentiation into a variety of specialized cells. MSCs are widely used to treat different diseases including DN and they have shown encouraging outcomes. This review provides details about the regenerative efficiency of using MSCs in treating diabetic nephropathy.