title: Adult mesenchymal stem cells and cell-based tissue engineering.
abstract: The identification of multipotential mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from adult human tissues, including bone marrow stroma and a number of connective tissues, has provided exciting prospects for cell-based tissue engineering and regeneration. This review focuses on the biology of MSCs, including their differentiation potentials in vitro and in vivo, and the application of MSCs in tissue engineering. Our current understanding of MSCs lags behind that of other stem cell types, such as hematopoietic stem cells. Future research should aim to define the cellular and molecular fingerprints of MSCs and elucidate their endogenous role(s) in normal and abnormal tissue functions.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Arthritis, and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA. Tuanr@mail.nih.gov
authors.forename: Rocky S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Tuan
authors.forename: Genevieve
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Boland
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tuli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001861:Bone Regeneration; D002356:Cartilage / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000166:cytology; D006801:Humans; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000166:cytology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D012038:Regeneration; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D023822:Tissue Engineering