[Stem cells - biology and therapeutic application].

Enormous hope is connected with stem cells with regard to cell therapy, and this has become one of the most dynamically developing areas of science at the moment. A stem cell has unlimited potential for self-renewal. It appears that it can be a source of in vitro differentiated progeny cells capable of repairing damaged tissue. These review provides information about the biological properties of embryonic stem cells, i.e. ESs (embryonic stem cells), EGs (embryonic germ cells), and ECs (embryonic carcinoma cells). Possible human embryonic stem cell applications are described, with consideration of the desired cell line and the signals involved in their differentiation. The information about adult stem cells present - hemopoietic stem cells and the cells residing in selected tissues and organs: endothelium, pancreas, liver, epithelium, and gastrointestinal tract. Methods of their identification using the cell surfaces are also presented: the possibilities of in vitro transdifferentation, the phenomenon of in vivo plasticity, as well as morphological and genetic properties. Some topics of cell therapy and its clinical application in diabetics amplification are included.