Mesenchymal Stem Cells In Arthritis

Abstract

Abstract Recent advances in our understanding of the biology of stem cells have attracted the attention of the biomedical community1–4. Basic scientists and clinicians are moving in concert, trying to bridge the gap from ‘bench to bedside’, and to unravel the biology of stem cell populations in development, growth, homeostasis, and disease. Adult stem cells are found in most adult tissues. Adult stem cells, hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic, are more restricted than embryonic stem cells, although recent findings have revealed the existence, at least in vitro, of adult marrow-derived, pluripotent stem cells (MAPCs) with a differentiation potential close to embryonic stem cells . However, more critical studies directed toward hematopoietic stem cells have disputed the concept of stem cell plasticity, suggesting that experimental artifact or somatic cell fusion may account for some reported observations of plasticity. Animal and human models with appropriate cell tracking and in vivoimaging technologies to explore the biology and therapeutic potential of human stem cells will be vital to advance the field over the coming years . Regardless, cumulative data suggest that precursor cells, residing in ‘niches’ or recruited from circulating stem cells, can participate in tissue homeostasis and repair, but also potentially contribute to disease processes.