title: Identification and Characterization of Human Endometrial Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells and Their Potential for Cellular Therapy.
abstract: SummaryHuman endometrium is a highly regenerative tissue, undergoing more than 400 cycles of proliferation, differentiation, and shedding during a woman's reproductive life. Adult stem cells, including mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs), are likely responsible for the immense cellular turnover in human endometrium. The unique properties of MSCs, including high proliferative ability, self-renewal, differentiation to mesodermal lineages, secretion of angiogenic factors, and many other growth-promoting factors make them useful candidates for cellular therapy and tissue engineering. In this review, we summarize the identification and characterization of newly discovered MSCs from the human endometrium: their properties, the surface markers used for their prospective isolation, their perivascular location in the endometrium, and their potential application in cellular therapies.
  
  
  
  The endometrium, or the lining of uterus, has recently been identified as a new and accessible source of mesenchymal stem cells, which can be obtained without anesthesia. Endometrial mesenchymal stem cells have comparable properties to bone marrow and adipose tissue mesenchymal stem cells. Endometrial mesenchymal stem cells are purified with known and novel perivascular surface markers and are currently under investigation for their potential use in cellular therapy for several clinical conditions with significant burden of disease.
authors.affiliation: The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, Victoria, Australia Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Saeedeh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Darzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Jerome A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Werkmeister
authors.affiliation: The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, Victoria, Australia Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Deane
authors.affiliation: The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, Victoria, Australia Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia caroline.gargett@hudson.org.au.
authors.forename: Caroline E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Gargett
mesh_terms: D004717:Endometrium / Q000166:cytology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells