Department of Stem Cell Biology and Histology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Japan.
Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz). 2011 Oct;59(5):369-78. doi: 10.1007/s00005-011-0139-9. Epub 2011 Jul 26.
Adult stem cells typically generate the cell types of the tissue in which they reside, and thus the range of their differentiation is considered limited. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are different from other somatic stem cells in that they differentiate not only into the same mesodermal-lineage such as bone, cartilage, and adipocytes but also into other lineages of ectodermal and endodermal cells. Thus, MSCs are a unique type of adult stem cells. In addition, MSCs home to damaged sites, differentiate into cells specific to the tissue and contribute to tissue repair. Therefore, application of MSCs in the treatment of various diseases, including liver dysfunction, myocardial infarction, and central nervous system repair, has been initiated. Because MSCs are generally harvested as adherent cells from bone marrow aspirates, however, they comprise heterogeneous cell populations and their wide-ranging differentiation ability and repair functions are not yet clear. Recent evidence suggests that a very small subpopulation of cells that assume a repair function with the ability to differentiate into trilineage cells resides among human MSCs and effective utilization of such cells is expected to improve the repair effect of MSCs. This review summarizes recent advances in the clarification of MSC properties and discusses future perspectives.
成体干细胞通常产生其所在组织的细胞类型，因此其分化范围被认为是有限的。骨髓间充质干细胞 (MSC) 与其他体干细胞不同，它们不仅可以分化为相同的中胚层谱系，如骨、软骨和脂肪细胞，还可以分化为外胚层和内胚层的其他谱系细胞。因此，MSC 是一种独特的成体干细胞。此外，MSC 归巢到受损部位，分化为特定组织的细胞，并有助于组织修复。因此，已经开始应用 MSC 治疗各种疾病，包括肝功能障碍、心肌梗死和中枢神经系统修复。然而，由于 MSC 通常作为贴壁细胞从骨髓抽吸物中分离出来，因此它们包含异质细胞群体，并且其广泛的分化能力和修复功能尚不清楚。最近的证据表明，在人类 MSC 中存在一小部分具有修复功能并能分化为三系细胞的细胞亚群，有效利用这些细胞有望提高 MSC 的修复效果。本综述总结了 MSC 特性阐明方面的最新进展，并讨论了未来的展望。
