Nutrition as a regulator of hematopoietic stem cell biology and transplantation
Sophia Shi, Ying LiangPurpose of review
Nutrition is increasingly recognized as a biologically active regulator of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) function and transplant recovery. This review summarizes recent advances linking nutrient availability, metabolic signaling, and the gut–marrow axis to HSC maintenance and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) outcomes.
Recent findings
Recent work supports a model in which nutrient sensing, glucose, amino acid and lipid metabolism, mitochondrial redox control, and microbiome-derived metabolites collectively shape HSC quiescence, regenerative capacity, immune recovery, and susceptibility to transplant-related complications. Dietary states such as caloric restriction, fasting, obesity, and high-fat diet exposure alter HSC behavior through metabolic, inflammatory, and niche-mediated pathways. In HSCT, nutritional status before and after transplantation appears to interact with mucosal injury, microbial disruption, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), infection, and overall outcomes, although causal evidence remains limited.
Summary
Nutrition should be viewed as more than a background component of supportive care in hematology. A better mechanistic understanding of how diet and metabolism influence HSC biology may help define biomarker-informed and clinically actionable nutritional strategies to improve transplant recovery.