Kunz EM, Carroll JP, Schoeller III RJ, Lucke-Wold B. Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells in irritable bowel syndrome: Mechanistic and translational insights. World J Stem Cells 2026; 18(7): 117946 [DOI: 10.4252/wjsc.117946]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Eric Michael Kunz, Doctorate Student, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL 33199, United States. ekunz005@med.fiu.edu
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Stem Cells. Jul 26, 2026; 18(7): 117946 Published online Jul 26, 2026. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.117946
Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells in irritable bowel syndrome: Mechanistic and translational insights
Eric Michael Kunz, Joseph Patrick Carroll, Russell James Schoeller III, Brandon Lucke-Wold
Eric Michael Kunz, Joseph Patrick Carroll, Russell James Schoeller III, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, United States
Brandon Lucke-Wold, Lillian S. Wells Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, United States
Author contributions: Kunz EM and Carroll JP designed the overall concept and outline of the manuscript; Carroll JP and Schoeller III RJ contributed to the discussion and design of the manuscript; Kunz EM and Lucke-Wold B contributed to the writing, editing the manuscript, and review of literature.
AI contribution statement: Use Google's chatbot (ChatGPT) and grammar checking tool (Grammarly) for language polishing and writing guidance. Assist in formulating chapter titles and the overall structure of the manuscript to enhance readability and coherence.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Eric Michael Kunz, Doctorate Student, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL 33199, United States. ekunz005@med.fiu.edu
Received: December 23, 2025 Revised: January 13, 2026 Accepted: February 14, 2026 Published online: July 26, 2026 Processing time: 215 Days and 12.7 Hours
Abstract
Diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) is a prevalent functional gastrointestinal disorder characterized by chronic abdominal pain and loose stools, increasingly recognized as a condition driven by low-grade inflammation, epithelial barrier dysfunction, and disturbances of the gut microbiota rather than purely disordered motility. In the recent issue of World Journal of Stem Cells, Zhang et al report that human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) ameliorate IBS-D - like disease in rats by attenuating mucosal inflammation, restoring tight junction protein expression, and stabilizing the intestinal microbiome. This editorial critically appraises their work from a translational perspective, highlighting the novelty of targeting the gut-immune-microbiome axis with hUC-MSCs in a functional bowel disorder. We discuss potential mechanisms of action, including paracrine immunomodulation, epithelial repair, and microbiome-short chain fatty acid-immune cross-talk, and relate these to current concepts of IBS-D pathophysiology. Key limitations of the animal data, gaps in human evidence, and challenges for clinical translation - such as patient selection, optimal dosing and delivery, and regulatory demands for advanced therapy medicinal products - are addressed. Finally, we propose priorities for early-phase clinical trials that integrate mechanistic biomarkers with patient-centered outcomes to determine whether hUC-MSCs can transition from experimental therapy to a realistic, disease-modifying option for IBS-D.
Core Tip: Diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome is increasingly linked to immune activation, intestinal barrier dysfunction, and gut microbiota imbalance rather than isolated motility disturbances. In a recent rat model, human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells reduced inflammatory cytokines, restored tight junction protein expression, and stabilized microbial diversity. This editorial situates these findings within current concepts of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome pathophysiology, explores how human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells might function as a multi-target biological therapy, and outlines key limitations, regulatory hurdles, and priorities for early-phase clinical trials needed to translate this strategy into patient care.
