title: Cell therapy of primary myopathies.
abstract: Mesoangioblasts are multipotent progenitors of mesodermal tissues. In vitro mesoangioblasts differentiate into many mesoderm cell types, such as smooth, cardiac and striated muscle, bone and endothelium. After transplantation mesoangioblasts colonize mostly mesoderm tissues and differentiate into many cell types of the mesoderm. When delivered through the arterial circulation, mesoangioblasts significantly restore skeletal muscle structure and function in a mouse model of muscular dystrophy. Their ability to extensively self-renew in vitro, while retaining multipotency, qualifies mesoangioblasts as a novel class of stem cells. Phenotype, properties and possible origin of mesoangioblasts are addressed in the first part of this paper. In the second part we will focus on the cell therapy approach for the treatment of Muscular Dystrophy and we will describe why mesangioblasts appear to be promising candidates for this strategy.
authors.affiliation: Stem Cell Research Institute, H. S. Raffaele, Milan, Italy. sampaolesi.maurilio@hsr.it
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sampaolesi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Biressi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tonlorenzi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Innocenzi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Draghici
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Cusella de Angelis
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cossu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D049031:Sarcoglycans / Q000235:genetics; D014162:Transfection / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D049031:Sarcoglycans