Abstract
Wharton’s jelly (WJ) is a gelatinous tissue within the umbilical cord that contains myofibroblast-like stromal cells. A unique cell population of WJ that has been suggested as displaying the stemness phenotype is the mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). Because MSCs’ stemness and immune properties appear to be more robustly expressed and functional which are more comparable with fetal than adult-derived MSCs, MSCs harvested from the “young” WJ are considered much more proliferative, immunosuppressive, and even therapeutically active stem cells than those isolated from older, adult tissue sources such as the bone marrow or adipose. The present review discusses the phenotypic characteristics, therapeutic applications, and optimization of experimental protocols for WJ-derived stem cells. MSCs derived from WJ display promising transplantable features, including ease of sourcing, in vitro expandability, differentiation abilities, immune-evasion and immune-regulation capacities. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that WJ-derived stem cells possess many potential advantages as transplantable cells for treatment of various diseases (e.g., cancer, chronic liver disease, cardiovascular diseases, nerve, cartilage and tendon injury). Additional studies are warranted to translate the use of WJ-derived stem cells for clinical applications.
Highlights
The advent of stem cells as a tool to decipher the cell’s biology and as a source of transplant therapy to correct aging and diseases has become a core research arena for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine
Stem cells have been derived in the amniotic compartment, the Wharton’s jelly (WJ) compartment, the perivascular compartment surrounding the vessels, the media and adventitia compartment of the walls of umbilical cord (UC) blood vessels, the endothelial compartment and the vascular compartment [16]
This study demonstrated the potential for chondrogenic differentiation of WJ-mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in three-dimensional tissue engineering; higher seeding densities better promoted biosynthesis and mechanical integrity, and a seeding density of at least 25 million cells/mL is recommended for fibrocartilage tissue engineering with umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells [79]
Summary
The advent of stem cells as a tool to decipher the cell’s biology and as a source of transplant therapy to correct aging and diseases has become a core research arena for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The young age of WJ suggests that MSCs harvested from this fetal origin will exhibit a much more proliferative, immunosuppressive, and even therapeutically active stem cells than those isolated from older, adult tissue sources such as the bone marrow or adipose This alternative source of MSCs became feasible with the report by McElreavey et al [2] of the culture of cells from WJ, which is the primitive connective tissue of the human umbilical cord (UC), first described by Thomas Wharton in 1656 [3]. The present compilation of milestone discoveries on WJ-derived stem cells should aid in further moving the field of cell biology and therapy towards clinical applications
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
