Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells Potential to Treat Organ Disorders; An Emerging Strategy

Abstract

Currently, Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells (MSCs) have attracted growing attention in the context of cell-based therapy in regenerative medicine. Following the first successful procurement of human MSCs from Bone Marrow (BM), these cells isolation has been conducted from various origins, in particular, the Umbilical Cord (UC). Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells (UC-MSCs) can be acquired by a non-invasive plan and simply cultured, and thereby signifies their superiority over MSCs derived from other sources for medical purposes. Due to their unique attributes, including self-renewal, multipotency, and accessibility concomitant with their immunosuppressive competence and lower ethical concerns, UC-MSCs therapy is described as encouraging therapeutic options in cell-based therapies. Regardless of their unique aptitude to adjust inflammatory response during tissue recovery and delivering solid milieu for tissue restoration, UC-MSCs can be differentiated into a diverse spectrum of adult cells (e.g., osteoblast, chondrocyte, type II alveolar, hepatocyte, and cardiomyocyte). Interestingly, they demonstrate a prolonged survival and longer telomeres compared with MSCs derived from other sources, suggesting that UC-MSCs are desired source to use in regenerative medicine. In the present review, we deliver a brief review of UC-MSCs isolation, expansion concomitantly with immunosuppressive activities, and try to collect and discuss recent pre-clinical and clinical researches based on the use of UC-MSCs in regenerative medicine, focusing on with special focus on in vivo researches.

Keywords: Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (UC-MSCs); bone marrow; cell-based therapy; immunomodulation; isolation; regenerative medicine.