Abstract
Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) represent a rare heterogeneous subset of pluripotent stromal cells that can be isolated from many different adult tissues that exhibit the potential to give rise to cells of diverse lineages. Numerous studies have reported beneficial effects of MSCs in tissue repair and regeneration. After culture expansion and in vivo administration, MSCs home to and engraft to injured tissues and modulate the inflammatory response through synergistic downregulation of proinflammatory cytokines and upregulation of both prosurvival and antiinflammatory factors. In addition, MSCs possess remarkable immunosuppressive properties, suppressing T-cell, NK cell functions, and also modulating dentritic cell activities. Tremendous progress has been made in preclinical studies using MSCs, including the ability to use allogeneic cells, which has driven the application of MSCs toward the clinical setting. This review highlights our current understanding into the biology of MSCs with particular emphasis on the cardiovascular and renal applications, and provides a brief update on the clinical status of MSC-based therapy.
Highlights
The use of stem cells in the clinical arena has gathered tremendous momentum over the last decade, advanced by varying levels of success in clinical trials and by the advancement in our understanding of the mechanisms by which stem cells exert their seemingly favorable effects
Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) represent a rare heterogeneous subset of pluripotent stromal cells that can be isolated from many different adult tissues that exhibit the potential to give rise to cells of diverse lineages
Tremendous progress has been made in preclinical studies using MSCs, including the ability to use allogeneic cells, which has driven the application of MSCs toward the clinical setting
Summary
The use of stem cells in the clinical arena has gathered tremendous momentum over the last decade, advanced by varying levels of success in clinical trials and by the advancement in our understanding of the mechanisms by which stem cells exert their seemingly favorable effects. The current evidence supporting the use of MSCs as a biologic therapeutic for a diverse range of clinical applications includes: ease of accessibility for isolation, enormous expansion potential in culture, presumptive plasticity, immunosuppressive properties, use in allogeneic transplantation, paracrine-mediated effects, homing and migratory behavior to sites of tissue injury, and ethical considerations.
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