AUTHOR=Gomez-Salazar Mario , Gonzalez-Galofre Zaniah N. , Casamitjana Joan , Crisan Mihaela , James Aaron W. , PĂ©ault Bruno TITLE=Five Decades Later, Are Mesenchymal Stem Cells Still Relevant? JOURNAL=Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology VOLUME=8 YEAR=2020 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/bioengineering-and-biotechnology/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2020.00148 DOI=10.3389/fbioe.2020.00148 ISSN=2296-4185 ABSTRACT=

Mesenchymal stem cells are culture-derived mesodermal progenitors isolatable from all vascularized tissues. In spite of multiple fundamental, pre-clinical and clinical studies, the native identity and role in tissue repair of MSCs have long remained elusive, with MSC selection in vitro from total cell suspensions essentially unchanged as a mere primary culture for half a century. Recent investigations have helped understand the tissue origin of these progenitor cells, and uncover alternative effects of MSCs on tissue healing via growth factor secretion and interaction with the immune system. In this review, we describe current trends in MSC biology and discuss how these may improve the use of these therapeutic cells in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.