Pain and Polypharmacy Diminish with Local Treatment of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Following Systemic Modulation of Inflammation: A Case Regarding Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Abstract

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) represent 6.3% of the various complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus, with a risk of development of up to 34%. Several factors contribute to the formation of ulcers, which are very difficult to treat as they hinder efficient wound healing. Patients experience persistent pain, which leads to the consumption of various medications (polypharmacy) due to the lesions not resolving. Conversely, this can increase the risk of various factors, including a chronic inflammatory state, which hinders the body’s own regenerative processes. Until now, treatment options have been limited to washing the wound and stimulating new tissue growth, but this is a painful and unsuccessful process. One of the treatment options is therefore cell therapy with mesenchymal stem cells, which have immunomodulatory characteristics and allow tissue regeneration, although the effect directly in pain is not totally clear. We have previously reported in our working group that patients with ulcers treated with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been able to integrate into their daily lives, although the pain related to the inflammatory state and polypharmacy has not been studied. Objective: This study investigates how the local administration of MSCs improves the condition of an ulcer by inducing tissue regeneration. It also shows how the concentration of systemic inflammatory biomarkers is modified in direct correlation with pain and the consumption of medications over time. Methods: Local administration of MSCs at 7 and 14 days, measuring pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines relative to the healthy control group, evaluating wound healing, and monitoring the medications taken by the patient in conjunction with pain perception. Results: Cell administration showed that inflammatory molecules were reduced and anti-inflammatory molecules increased. This is reflected in the consumption of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) in relation to wound improvement, with a decrease in pain medication consumption of less than 50%. We provide evidence that locally administered mesenchymal stem cells influence systemic inflammatory processes necessary for tissue recovery, impacting patients’ polypharmacy consumption due to reduced perceived pain. Conclusions: This report establishes a direct link between mesenchymal stem cells and pain relief in type 2 diabetes ulcers, potentially paving the way for new pain therapies.