Cell adhesion and long-term survival of transplanted mesenchymal stem cells: a prerequisite for cell therapy.
The literature provides abundant evidence that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are an attractive resource for therapeutics and have beneficial effects in regenerating injured tissues due to their self-renewal ability and broad differentiation potential. Although the therapeutic potential of MSCs has been proven in both preclinical and clinical studies, several questions have not yet been addressed. A major limitation to the use of MSCs in clinical applications is their poor viability at the site of injury due to the harsh microenvironment and to anoikis driven by the loss of cell adhesion. To improve the survival of the transplanted MSCs, strategies to regulate apoptotic signaling and enhance cell adhesion have been developed, such as pretreatment with cytokines, growth factors, and antiapoptotic molecules, genetic modifications, and hypoxic preconditioning. More appropriate animal models and a greater understanding of the therapeutic mechanisms of MSCs will be required for their successful clinical application. Nevertheless, the development of stem cell therapies using MSCs has the potential to treat degenerative diseases. This review discusses various approaches to improving MSC survival by inhibiting anoikis.
Institute for Bio-Medical Convergence, College of Medicine, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do 210-701, Republic of Korea ; Catholic Kwandong University International St. Mary's Hospital, Incheon Metropolitan City 404-834, Republic of Korea.
Seahyoung
S
Lee
Institute for Bio-Medical Convergence, College of Medicine, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do 210-701, Republic of Korea ; Catholic Kwandong University International St. Mary's Hospital, Incheon Metropolitan City 404-834, Republic of Korea.
Eunhyun
E
Choi
Institute for Bio-Medical Convergence, College of Medicine, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do 210-701, Republic of Korea ; Catholic Kwandong University International St. Mary's Hospital, Incheon Metropolitan City 404-834, Republic of Korea.
Min-Ji
MJ
Cha
Institute for Bio-Medical Convergence, College of Medicine, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do 210-701, Republic of Korea ; Catholic Kwandong University International St. Mary's Hospital, Incheon Metropolitan City 404-834, Republic of Korea.
Ki-Chul
KC
Hwang
D017209:Apoptosis; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy; D006801:Humans; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D012038:Regeneration