Mesenchymal and induced pluripotent stem cells: general insights and clinical perspectives

Abstract

Mesenchymal stem cells have awakened a great deal of interest in regenerative medicine due to their plasticity, and immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. They are high-yield and can be acquired through noninvasive methods from adult tissues. Moreover, they are nontumorigenic and are the most widely studied. On the other hand, induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be derived directly from adult cells through gene reprogramming. The new iPS technology avoids the embryo destruction or manipulation to generate pluripotent cells, therefore, are exempt from ethical implication surrounding embryonic stem cell use. The pre-differentiation of iPS cells ensures the safety of future approaches. Both mesenchymal stem cells and iPS cells can be used for autologous cell transplantations without the risk of immune rejection and represent a great opportunity for future alternative therapies. In this review we discussed the therapeutic perspectives using mesenchymal and iPS cells.

Keywords: MSC; cell therapy; cell transplantation; iPS.

Figure 1

Potential application of MSC and iPS cells in preclinical and clinical transplantation. Notes: MSC are nontumorigenic, therefore, they are safe to be transplanted systematically or locally. On the other hand, the pluripotency state of iPS cells can mean a wide possibility of disease treatment, and their pre-differentiation in vitro can guarantee the safeness of utilization. Abbreviations: MSC, mesenchymal stem cells; iPS, induced pluripotent stem.