Mesenchymal stem cells | Stem Cells Freak

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), are multipotent stem cells with the capacity to differentiate into a variety of somatic cells, mainly the ones of the skeletal tissue.MSCs have long thin cell bodies with a large and roundnucleus. Their are multipotent in nature and are thus categorised as adult stem cells. They are also known as multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells

They were first described in 1924 by Alexander Maximow, a Russian-American scientist who identified a precursor cell in the mesenchyme that differentiates into many blood cell types.

MSCs research and clinical applications

Many researchers believe that MSCs are promising candidates in the following fields:

Bone cartilage repair and regeneration

MSCs mainly differentiate into osteoblasts and chondrocytes, so the first obvious application is the treatment of skeletal and chondral (cartilage) defects. This is especially true for cartilage defects which are one of the most difficult problems doctors have yet to solve. Even a small and asymptomatic cartilage defect has the potential to lead intodebilitating arthritis. Some major breakthroughs in this field are:

Heart and blood vessel repair

Inflammatory and autoimmune diseases

MSCs had also shown some early success for inflammatory diseases (e.g. inflammatory bowel disease), but later findings revealed that other methods like the ones that increase the local concentration of cells are better alternatives.

Other

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Mesenchymal stem cells | Stem Cells Freak