At present, the clinical treatment of pancreatitis is mainly supportive, with long period of hospitalization, high medical expenses and high mortality. Therefore, it is urgent to find a new treatment strategy. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are considered to be ideal seed cells for tissue or organ repair in regenerative medicine, due to well-established self-renewal, multi-lineage differentiation potential, low immunogenicity, as well as immunomodulatory properties. In the last few years, several studies have found that MSCs can not only home to the damage area, but also promote the repair of pancreas injury through anti-inflammation, anti-apoptosis, angiogenesis and immune regulation. These studies suggest that MSCs therapy is a promising strategy for the treatment of pancreatitis. Here, the authors address the latest progress in MSCs therapy for acute and chronic pancreatitis.