Mesenchymal stem cell transplantation in multiple sclerosis.

ABSTRACT: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are pluripotent non-hematopoietic precursor cells that can be isolated from bone marrow and numerous other tissues, culture-expanded to purity, and induced to differentiate in vitro and in vivo into mesodermal derivatives. MSCs exhibit many phenotypic and functional similarities to pericytes. The immunomodulatory, tissue protective, and repair-promoting properties of MSCs demonstrated both in vitro and in animal models make them an attractive potential therapy for MS and other conditions characterized by inflammation and/or tissue injury. Other potential advantages of MSCs as a therapeutic include the relative ease of culture expansion, relative immunoprivilege allowing allogeneic transplantation, and their ability to traffic from blood to areas of tissue allo

SUBMITTER: Cohen JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3624046 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature