Recent advances in the induction of the differentiation of embryonic stem cells into corneal epithelial cells / 中华实验眼科杂志

ABSTRACT

Embryonic stem cells(ESCs)are pluripotential cells,and they can be induced to differentiate into bone cells,cartilage cells,muscle cells,blood vessels and neurogenesis cells.In addition,ESCs are able to participate in the regeneration of ocular surface.At present,many research groups,domestic and abroad,have reported that ESCs can not only differentiate into corneal epithelium-like cells,but also play an important role in the repair of corneal epithelium.However,other unsolved problems in ESCs-related corneal tissue engineering are being concerned,such as the molecular biologic mechanism underlying the directional differentiation from ESCs to corneal cells,and the potential tumorigenicity with grafting of transformed or undifferentiated ESCs.The purpose of this review was to provide a summary of research progress in the differentiation of ESCs into corneal epithelial cells.