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Review
. 2019 Jul 12;8(7):1025.
doi: 10.3390/jcm8071025.

The Immunomodulatory Functions of Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cells Mediated via Paracrine Activity

Yueyuan Zhou  1   2 , Yusuke Yamamoto  2 , Zhongdang Xiao  1 , Takahiro Ochiya  3   4
Affiliations
Review

The Immunomodulatory Functions of Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cells Mediated via Paracrine Activity

Yueyuan Zhou et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) exist in almost all tissues, possessing the potential to differentiate into specialized cell types and exert immunomodulatory functions. Thus, they have attracted much attention as a promising therapeutic candidate. Recent studies have demonstrated that paracrine signaling is mainly responsible for the involvement of MSCs in the modulation of immune responses and the progression of diseases. Through release of secretome consisting of a diverse range of cytokines, chemokines, and extracellular vesicles (EVs), MSCs convey regulatory messages to recipient immune cells in the microenvironment. In this review, we focus on the recent advances in how MSCs contribute to immunomodulation through the secretion of paracrine factors. The further improved understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying the interactions between MSCs and immune cells highlights the paracrine biology of MSCs in the modulation of the immune microenvironment and promotes the clinical application of MSCs in regenerative medicine and immune diseases.

Keywords: MSC; immune diseases; immune regulation; paracrine mechanism.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The regulatory function of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) via paracrine on immune cells.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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