Mesenchymal stromal cells, commonly referred to as MSCs, have emerged as a promising cell-based therapy for a range of autoimmune diseases thanks to several therapeutic advantages. Key among these are: 1) the ability to modulate innate and adaptive immune responses and to promote tissue regeneration, 2) the ease of their isolation from readily accessible tissues and expansion at scale in culture, 3) their low immunogenicity enabling use as an allogeneic “off-the-shelf” product, and 4) MSC therapy's safety and feasibility in humans, as demonstrated in more than one thousand clinical trials. Evidence from preclinical studies and early clinical trials indicate the therapeutic potential of MSCs and their derivatives for efficacy in ocular autoimmune diseases such as autoimmune uveoretinitis and Sjögren's syndrome-related dry eye disease. In this review, we provide an overview of the current understanding of the therapeutic mechanisms of MSCs, and summarize the results from preclinical and clinical studies that have used MSCs or their derivatives for the treatment of ocular autoimmune diseases. We also discuss the challenges to the successful clinical application of MSC therapy, and suggest strategies for overcoming them.

由于多种治疗优势，间充质基质细胞，通常称为 MSC，已成为一种有前途的细胞疗法，可用于治疗一系列自身免疫性疾病。其中的关键是：1) 调节先天性和适应性免疫反应并促进组织再生的能力，2) 它们易于从易于获得的组织中分离并在培养中大规模扩展，3) 它们的低免疫原性使其能够用作同种异体“现成的”产品，以及 4) MSC 疗法在人体中的安全性和可行性，一千多项临床试验证明了这一点。临床前研究和早期临床试验的证据表明，间充质干细胞及其衍生物在治疗自身免疫性眼部自身免疫性疾病（如自身免疫性葡萄膜炎和干燥综合征相关干眼病）方面具有治疗潜力。在这篇综述中，我们概述了目前对 MSCs 治疗机制的理解，并总结了使用 MSCs 或其衍生物治疗眼部自身免疫性疾病的临床前和临床研究结果。我们还讨论了 MSC 治疗成功临床应用所面临的挑战，并提出了克服这些挑战的策略。