Safety and efficacy of umbilical cord-derived stem cell therapy for the treatment of cerebral palsy patients: a systematic review

Background Allogeneic umbilical cord blood is regarded as a beneficial source of stem cells with varying therapeutic potential. On the other hand, cerebral palsy is one of the neurological conditions that are the primary contributor to early childhood disability. The aim of this systematic review was to harvest data from currently available sources to determine the safety and efficacy of treating cerebral palsy patients with stem cells obtained from allogeneic umbilical cords. Methods For this study, systematic searches of the databases PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar were conducted with no time Limit until November 2022. Duplicates were found and eliminated after entering the data from the chosen studies into the Endnote reference management program. The remaining studies were assessed in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses phases and the inclusion and exclusion criteria (PRISMA). The search was performed using the keywords of Safety, Effectiveness, Stem Cells, Cerebral Palsy, and Umbilical and the (AND) and (OR) operators and their combinations were used to construct the search strategies. Results After several assessments and based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 31 of the remaining 58 studies were eliminated. The systematic review method included 7 final studies in the end. Based on the reviewed studies, it was reported that umbilical cord blood is currently one of the best sources of adult stem cells that contain cells with a wide range of therapeutic potential. These studies report that allogeneic umbilical cord blood has the potential to treat cerebral palsy and that concomitant administration of recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), which has neurotrophic properties, may enhance the efficacy of umbilical cord blood. These studies state that pneumonia and irritability have been reported as complications of umbilical cord blood transfusion. These studies reported that administration of stem cells significantly improves motor function. The safety and efficacy of treating cerebral palsy patients with stem cells taken from an allogeneic umbilical cord were reported in all included investigations. Conclusion Cerebral palsy has negative consequences on patients’ quality of life, many aspects of the treatment based on allogeneic umbilical cord stem cells remain unknown. Therefore, the optimal dose, the most suitable type of cell, cell identification, and the best administration route should be determined appropriately. The quality of life of patients with cerebral palsy may be negatively impacted, and many details of the allogeneic umbilical cord stem cell therapy are yet unknown. Consequently, it is important to discover the most suitable type of cell, the optimal dose, and the best delivery method.