Advances in modulating the in vivo fate and therapeutic efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells with natural products

Abstract

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are widely utilized in disease treatment and regenerative medicine due to their potent immunomodulatory properties and capacity for tissue repair. However, limitations—including insufficient migratory capacity, suboptimal survival, proliferation, differentiation potential, and variable immunomodulatory responses—significantly hinder their clinical translation and therapeutic impact. Natural products have been shown to enhance MSC homing, stress resilience, immune regulation, and lineage-specific differentiation through multi-target mechanisms, thereby emerging as promising, safe, and practical strategies to improve the in vivo performance of MSC-based therapies. This review examines the key translational challenges associated with MSCs, elucidates the mechanistic basis by which natural products regulate the in vivo fate of MSCs, and explores the potential of integrating natural product adjuvants with MSC therapy for enhanced clinical outcomes.

Keywords

Natural products / Mesenchymal stem cells / Homing / Immunomodulation / Tissue repair

Funding

This work was supported by the Leading Technology Foundation Research Project of Jiangsu Province (No. BK20232035), the Key Project of Basic Research Program of Jiangsu Province (No. BK20243061), the Project of State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University (No. SKLNMZZ202302), and the Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem Innovation Fund (No. 22HHXBSS00005).

Declaration of competing interest

These authors declare no conflict of interest.

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