Where do mesenchymal stem cells come from?
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) were initially described by Friedenstein as elongated cells (fibroblastoid) with the capacity to adhere to the plastic of the vessels in which they were cultured and with a greater proliferative potential than other types of stem cells (1). These cells, also known as stromal stem cells, stand out for their capacity to give rise to different types of connective tissue including bone, cartilage, muscle and adipose tissue. Among the different sources of MSCs are those derived from bone marrow, adipose tissue, and more recently, Wharton’s jelly from the umbilical cord, which have advantages in terms of possible differentiation into cartilage tissue, Therefore, in recent years, Wharton’s jelly MSC (WJMSC) therapies have emerged as a viable option for different treatments since they show greater proliferative capacity, are younger because they are derived from neonatal tissue, are less interfered by the environment and are less likely to develop defective functions associated with aging compared to other MSC sources (2, 3). Based on these advantages, these cells obtained from the umbilical cord, which is generally discarded, have been used, avoiding the need for invasive procedures in patients (4, 5).
How do stem cells work for different treatments?
MSCs are involved in the wound and injury healing process to varying degrees and influence the ability of the wound to progress beyond the inflammatory phase and not return to the chronic wound state (6). The purpose of MSC-based therapies is to create tissues that can simulate the characteristics of native tissue, decrease inflammation and pain.
What characteristics must stem cells have to be used in regenerative medicine treatments?
The criteria established by the International Society for Cellular Therapies (ISCT) include the determination of the plastic adherence properties of the flasks in which they are cultured, in vitro differentiation to bone cells (osteoblasts), cartilage cells (chondrocytes) and fat tissue cells (adipocytes), in addition to the expression of cell surface proteins that allow the identification of the cell population of interest and exclude the presence of other cell types present in the culture (7).
References
1- Phinney DG. Alexander Friedenstein, Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Shifting Paradigms and Euphemisms. Bioengineering. 2024;11(6):534.
2- Aratikatla A, Maffulli N, Gupta M, Potti IA, Potty AG, Gupta A. Wharton’s jelly and osteoarthritis of the knee. British medical bulletin. 2024;149(1):13-31.
3- Kalaszczynska I, Ferdyn K. Wharton’s jelly derived mesenchymal stem cells: future of regenerative medicine? Recent findings and clinical significance. BioMed research international. 2015;2015.
4- Bieback K, Kern S, Kocaömer A, Ferlik K, Bugert P. Comparing mesenchymal stromal cells from different human tissues: bone marrow, adipose tissue and umbilical cord blood. Bio-medical materials and engineering. 2008;18(s1):71-6.
5- Vieira Paladino F, de Moraes Rodrigues J, da Silva A, Goldberg AC. The immunomodulatory potential of Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem/stromal cells. Stem cells international. 2019;2019.
6- Dominici M, Le Blanc K, Mueller I, Slaper-Cortenbach I, Marini F, Krause D, et al. Minimal criteria for defining multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells. The International Society for Cellular Therapy position statement. Cytotherapy. 2006;8(4):315-7.
7- Silina E, Stupin V, Koreyba K, Bolevich S, Suzdaltseva Y, Manturova N. Local and remote effects of mesenchymal stem cell administration on skin wound regeneration. Pathophysiology. 2021;28(3):355-72.
