Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells: Their advantages and potential clinical utility.
Human umbilical cord (UC) is a promising source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Apart from their prominent advantages, such as a painless collection procedure and faster self-renewal, UC-MSCs have shown the ability to differentiate into three germ layers, to accumulate in damaged tissue or inflamed regions, to promote tissue repair, and to modulate immune response. There are diverse protocols and culture methods for the isolation of MSCs from the various compartments of UC, such as Wharton's jelly, vein, arteries, UC lining and subamnion and perivascular regions. In this review, we give a brief introduction to various compartments of UC as a source of MSCs and emphasize the potential clinical utility of UC-MSCs for regenerative medicine and immunotherapy.
Tokiko Nagamura-Inoue, Haiping He, Department of Cell Processing and Transfusion, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan.
Tokiko
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Nagamura-Inoue
Tokiko Nagamura-Inoue, Haiping He, Department of Cell Processing and Transfusion, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan.
Haiping
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He
Immunotherapy; Mesenchymal stem cells; Multipotency; Umbilical cord; Wharton’s Jelly