Clinical Research Center, Inha Research Institute, Inha University School of Medicine, Incheon 400-712, Korea.
Arch Pharm Res. 2012 Feb;35(2):213-21. doi: 10.1007/s12272-012-0202-z. Epub 2012 Feb 28.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are adult stem cells that can be isolated from most adult tissues, including bone marrow, adipose, liver, amniotic fluid, lung, skeletal muscle and kidney. The term MSC is currently being used to represent both mesenchymal stem cells and multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells. Numerous reports on systemic administration of MSCs leading to functional improvements based on the paradigm of engraftment and differentiation have been published. However, it is not only difficult to demonstrate extensive engraftment of cells, but also no convincing clinical results have been generated from phase 3 trials as of yet and prolonged responses to therapy have been noted after identification of MSCs had discontinued. It is now clear that there is another mechanism by which MSCs exert their reparative benefits. Recently, MSCs have been shown to possess immunomodulatory properties. These include suppression of T cell proliferation, influencing dendritic cell maturation and function, suppression of B cell proliferation and terminal differentiation, and immune modulation of other immune cells such as NK cells and macrophages. In terms of the clinical applications of MSCs, they are being tested in four main areas: tissue regeneration for cartilage, bone, muscle, tendon and neuronal cells; as cell vehicles for gene therapy; enhancement of hematopoietic stem cell engraftment; and treatment of immune diseases such as graft-versus-host disease, rheumatoid arthritis, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, sepsis, acute pancreatitis and multiple sclerosis. In this review, the mechanisms of immunomodulatory effects of MSCs and examples of animal and clinical uses of their immunomodulatory effects are described.
间充质干细胞（MSCs）是一种成体干细胞，可以从大多数成体组织中分离出来，包括骨髓、脂肪、肝脏、羊水、肺、骨骼肌和肾脏。目前，MSC 这个术语既代表间充质干细胞，也代表多能间充质基质细胞。已经有许多关于 MSC 全身给药导致功能改善的报告，这些改善基于植入和分化的范例。然而，不仅很难证明细胞的广泛植入，而且到目前为止，第三阶段的试验也没有产生令人信服的临床结果，并且在停止鉴定 MSC 后，已经注意到治疗的长期反应。现在很明显，MSC 发挥其修复作用还有另一种机制。最近，已经证明 MSC 具有免疫调节特性。这些特性包括抑制 T 细胞增殖、影响树突状细胞成熟和功能、抑制 B 细胞增殖和终末分化，以及对 NK 细胞和巨噬细胞等其他免疫细胞的免疫调节。就 MSC 的临床应用而言，它们正在四个主要领域进行测试：软骨、骨骼、肌肉、肌腱和神经元细胞的组织再生；作为基因治疗的细胞载体；增强造血干细胞的植入；以及治疗免疫疾病，如移植物抗宿主病、类风湿性关节炎、实验性自身免疫性脑脊髓炎、脓毒症、急性胰腺炎和多发性硬化症。在这篇综述中，描述了 MSC 的免疫调节作用机制，以及其免疫调节作用在动物和临床中的应用实例。
