Sepsis remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. The pathophysiology of sepsis involves complex interactions between microbial pathogens and the host immune system. Stem cells have the potential to both directly regenerate tissue by virtue of their pluripotency and mitigate injury and inflammation through paracrine mechanisms. These characteristics have stimulated worldwide research efforts to explore the possibility of using stem cells for the treatment of sepsis. A variety of stem cells have been isolated, characterized, and tested experimentally in preclinical animal models of sepsis. In this review, the authors define the various types of stem cells (embryonic, mesenchymal, endothelial progenitor, and hematopoietic progenitor) and describe the results of studies done to date to examine the role of these various stem cell classes in treatment of sepsis and other human diseases.
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