The ovary and testis are the organs responsible for the generation of reproductive gametes and the production of sex hormones in organisms. Their pathological development is an important factor affecting the reproduction of biological offspring. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), as a type of primordial cells with multi-directional differentiation and immunoregulatory ability, play a significant role in the regulation of homeostasis and immune maintenance of the body. Studies have shown that MSCs infusion can effectively treat various reproductive system diseases, such as polycystic ovary syndrome, premature ovarian failure, ovarian cancer, non-obstructive azoospermia, recurrence of testicular cancer, testicular torsion, aging testis, and bacterial sexually transmitted diseases, etc. In terms of the mechanism, MSCs infusion can precisely migrate to the damaged gonadal sites through the homing effect, and simultaneously secrete various bioactive factors through paracrine effects. These factors are capable of promoting angiogenesis in the injured gonads, as well as exerting anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic, and antioxidant effects, thereby restoring the physiological homeostasis of the gonads. This article reviews the research progress in recent years on the treatment of reproductive system diseases by MSCs and their mechanism, in order to provide a reference for the development of new clinical treatment strategies.
1. VenkateshSS, FerreiraT, BenonisdottirS, et al. Obesity and risk of female reproductive conditions: a Mendelian randomisation study[J]. PLoS Med, 2022, 19(2): e1003679. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003679.
2. MinhasS, BettocchiC, BoeriL, et al. European Association of Urology guidelines on male sexual and reproductive health: 2021 update on male infertility[J]. Eur Urol, 2021, 80(5): 603-620. DOI: 10.1016/j.eururo.2021.08.014.
3. DongL, TehDBL, KennedyBK, et al. Unraveling female reproductive senescence to enhance healthy longevity[J]. Cell Res, 2023, 33(1): 11-29. DOI: 10.1038/s41422-022-00718-7.
4. ZhangC, HanX, LiuJ, et al. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis reveals the cellular heterogeneity of mesenchymal stem cells[J]. Genomics Proteomics Bioinformatics, 2022, 20(1): 70-86. DOI: 10.1016/j.gpb.2022.01.005.
5. LaiD, WangF, YaoX, et al. Human endometrial mesenchymal stem cells restore ovarian function through improving the renewal of germline stem cells in a mouse model of premature ovarian failure[J]. J Transl Med, 2015, 13: 155. DOI: 10.1186/s12967-015-0516-y.
6. ChughRM, ParkHS, El AndaloussiA, et al. Mesenchymal stem cell therapy ameliorates metabolic dysfunction and restores fertility in a PCOS mouse model through interleukin-10[J]. Stem Cell Res Ther, 2021, 12(1): 388. DOI: 10.1186/s13287-021-02472-w.
7. KhalilC, MoussaM, AzarA, et al. Anti-proliferative effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from multiple sources on ovarian cancer cell lines: an in-vitro experimental study[J]. J Ovarian Res, 2019,12(1): 70. DOI: 10.1186/s13048-019-0546-9.
8. HuangY, ZhuM, LiuZ, et al. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in premature ovarian failure: mechanisms and prospects[J]. Front Immunol, 2022,13: 997808. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.997808.
9. El-DeranyMO, SaidRS, El-DemerdashE. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells reverse radiotherapy-induced premature ovarian failure: emphasis on signal integration of TGF-β, Wnt/β-catenin and Hippo pathways[J]. Stem Cell Rev Rep, 2021, 17(4): 1429-1445. DOI: 10.1007/s12015-021-10135-9.
10. YinN, WuC, QiuJ, et al. Protective properties of heme oxygenase-1 expressed in umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells help restore the ovarian function of premature ovarian failure mice through activating the JNK/Bcl-2 signal pathway-regulated autophagy and upregulating the circulating of CD8+CD28- T cells[J]. Stem Cell Res Ther, 2020, 11(1): 49. DOI: 10.1186/s13287-019-1537-x.
11. AbdiA, RanjbaranM, AmidiF, et al. The effect of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation on ovarian mitochondrial dysfunction in letrozole-induced polycystic ovary syndrome in rats: the role of PI3K-AKT signaling pathway[J]. J Ovarian Res, 2024, 17(1): 91. DOI: 10.1186/s13048-024-01422-3.
12. WangX, JiangL, LiuQ.MiR-18a-5p derived from mesenchymal stem cells-extracellular vesicles inhibits ovarian cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and chemotherapy resistance[J]. J Transl Med, 2022, 20(1): 258. DOI: 10.1186/s12967-022-03422-7.
13. QianC, MengQ, LuJ, et al. Human amnion mesenchymal stem cells restore spermatogenesis in mice with busulfan-induced testis toxicity by inhibiting apoptosis and oxidative stress[J]. Stem Cell Res Ther, 2020, 11(1): 290. DOI: 10.1186/s13287-020-01803-7.
14. KadamP,NtemouE, BaertY,et al.Co-transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells improves spermatogonial stem cell transplantation efficiency in mice[J]. Stem Cell Res Ther, 2018, 9(1): 317. DOI: 10.1186/s13287-018-1065-0.
15. HokmabadiA, RanjbarE, AlipourF, et al. Protective effect of dental pulp stem cells' conditioned medium against cisplatin-induced testicular damage in rats[J]. Toxicology, 2024, 504: 153788. DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2024.153788.
16. LiuX, WangX, ZhangX, et al. Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells ameliorates cisplatin-induced blood-testis barrier dysfunction in mice by mitigating ferroptosis[J]. Stem Cell Res Ther, 2025, 16(1): 511. DOI: 10.1186/s13287-025-04645-3.
17. HsiaoCH, JiAT, ChangCC, et al. Mesenchymal stem cells restore the sperm motility from testicular torsion-detorsion injury by regulation of glucose metabolism in sperm[J]. Stem Cell Res Ther, 2019, 10(1): 270. DOI: 10.1186/s13287-019-1351-5.
18. ChenYT, ChuangFC, YangCC, et al. Combined melatonin-adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells therapy effectively protected the testis from testicular torsion-induced ischemia-reperfusion injury[J]. Stem Cell Res Ther, 2021, 12(1): 370. DOI:10.1186/s13287-021-02439-x.
19. LvM, ZhangS, JiangB, et al. Adipose-derived stem cells regulate metabolic homeostasis and delay aging by promoting mitophagy[J]. FASEB J, 2021, 35(7): e21709. DOI: 10.1096/fj.202100332R.
20. ZhouY, YanJ, QiaoL, et al. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes ameliorate aging-induced BTB impairment in porcine testes by activating autophagy and inhibiting ROS/NLRP3 inflammasomes via the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway[J]. Antioxidants(Basel), 2024, 13(2): 183. DOI: 10.3390/antiox13020183.
21. GasanovVAO, KashirskikhDA, KhotinaVA, et al. Preclinical evaluation of the safety, toxicity and efficacy of genetically modified Wharton's Jelly mesenchymal stem/stromal cells expressing the antimicrobial peptide SE-33[J]. Cells, 2025, 14(5): 341. DOI: 10.3390/cells14050341.
22. YuanZ, ZhangY, HeX, et al. Engineering mesenchymal stem cells for premature ovarian failure: overcoming challenges and innovating therapeutic strategies[J]. Theranostics, 2024, 14(17): 6487-6515. DOI: 10.7150/thno.102641.
23. DapasM, DunaifA. Deconstructing a syndrome: genomic insights into PCOS causal mechanisms and classification[J]. Endocr Rev, 2022, 43(6): 927-965. DOI: 10.1210/endrev/bnac001.
24. CaoM, ZhaoY, ChenT, et al. Adipose mesenchymal stem cell–derived exosomal microRNAs ameliorate polycystic ovary syndrome by protecting against metabolic disturbances[J]. Biomaterials, 2022, 288: 121739. DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2022.121739.
25. VergoteI, Gonzalez-MartinA, LorussoD, et al. Clinical research in ovarian cancer: consensus recommendations from the Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup[J]. Lancet Oncol, 2022, 23(8): e374-e384. DOI: 10.1016/s1470-2045(22)00139-5.
26. PiechkaA, SparaneseS, WitherspoonL, et al. Molecular mechanisms of cellular dysfunction in testes from men with non-obstructive azoospermia[J]. Nat Rev Urol, 2024, 21(2): 67-90. DOI: 10.1038/s41585-023-00837-9.
27. KotM, Baj-KrzyworzekaM, SzatanekR, et al. The importance of HLA assessment in "off-the-shelf" allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells based-therapies[J]. Int J Mol Sci, 2019, 20(22): 5680. DOI: 10.3390/ijms20225680.
28. McHughDJ, GleesonJP, FeldmanDR. Testicular cancer in 2023: current status and recent progress[J]. CA Cancer J Clin, 2024, 74(2): 167-186. DOI: 10.3322/caac.21819.
29. KeaysM, RosenbergH. Testicular torsion[J]. CMAJ, 2019, 191(28): E792. DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.190158.
30. ChengH, ZhangX, LiY, et al. Age-related testosterone decline: mechanisms and intervention strategies[J]. Reprod Biol Endocrinol,2024, 22(1): 144. DOI: 10.1186/s12958-024-01316-5.
31. ZhuY, HuangC, ZhengL, et al. Safety and efficacy of umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of patients with aging frailty: a phase I/II randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study[J]. Stem Cell Res Ther, 2024, 15(1): 122. DOI: 10.1186/s13287-024-03707-2.
32. GaoY, JiZ, ZhaoJ, et al. Therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells for fungal infections: mechanisms, applications, and challenges[J]. Front Microbiol, 2025, 16: 1554917. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1554917.
33. ZohrabiM, Dehghan MarvastL, IzadiM, et al. Potential of mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes as a novel treatment for female infertility caused by bacterial infections[J]. Front Microbiol, 2022, 12: 785649. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.785649.
34. ZhangC, LiaoW, LiW, et al. Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells derived extracellular vesicles alleviate salpingitis by promoting M1-to-M2 transformation[J]. Front Physiol, 2023, 14: 1131701. DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1131701.
35. LiuH, ZhuX, CaoX, et al. IL-1β-primed mesenchymal stromal cells exert enhanced therapeutic effects to alleviate chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome through systemic immunity[J]. Stem Cell Res Ther, 2021, 12(1): 514. DOI: 10.1186/s13287-021-02579-0.