Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Diabetic foot patients often exhibit limb distal ischemia and the clinical outcomes are not very satisfactory. Autologous stem cells transplantation is a safe and effective treatment method in recent years.
OBJECTIVE: To explore the literature trends of stem cells transplantation for the treatment of diabetic foot.
METHODS: The CNKI database from January 2003 to December 2011 was searched for the literatures related to stem cells for the treatment of diabetic foot. The key words were “stem cells, diabetic foot” and the characteristics of the data were analyzed by analysis capabilities of the database and the chart function of Excel software. The autologous bone marrow stem cells, autologous hematopoietic stem cells or umbilical cord blood stem cell transplantation were used for the treatment of diabetic foot; the cells were injected into the lower limb ischemia site through intramuscular injection or vascular infusion. The physical pain, cold sensation, skin temperature, intermittent claudication, ulcer healing degree and angiographic results were compared after treatment, and the effect of cells transplantation was assessed.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Among the literatures included in the CNKI database from 2003 to 2011, a total of 125 literatures related to the stem cells for the treatment of diabetic foot were screened out. The amount of the literatures showed an increasing trend, and the main content of the literatures containing the diabetic foot, stem cell transplantation and transplantation. Stem cells for the transplantation mainly include autologous cells, including bone marrow stem cells and hematopoietic stem cells. Stem cells transplantation can alleviate the symptoms of diabetic foot and release the pain, and during the transplantation, lower limb angiography shows varying degrees of neonatal collateral blood vessel formation which plays an important role in improving the lower limb ischemia of diabetic foot patients.