Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a type of adult stem cell that originates in the early mesoderm, which are capable of self-renewal and multi-directional differentiation. A large number of studies have shown that MSCs have great potential in the field of regenerative medicine. MSCs can be used to treat many types of diseases such as spinal cord injury, liver damage, kidney damage and autoimmune diseases. They are generally derived from placenta, fat, dental pulp, bone marrow, umbilical cord, and fetal internal organs as well as other organs and tissues. Among them, the umbilical cord as a link between the mother and fetus to transport nutrients contains a large number of MSCs. Compared with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells that are affected by the donor’s age and fetal mesenchymal stem cells that have ethical issues, umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells ( hUCMSCs) have a high proliferation efficiency and wide range of donor sources, and low virus infection rate. Therefore, hUCMSCs are considered to be a better choice for treatment of virous diseases. These advantages also make hUCMSCs attractive in the field of regenerative medicine. This article focuses on the current research progress of hUCMSCs related to disease treatment.