Biological characteristics and clinical application of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow stroma are able to differentiate into multiple mesoderm-type cell lineages. Because of the ease of their isolation and their extensive differentiated potentiality, mesenchymal stem cells become potential resource of cell and gene therapy. OBJECTIVE: To summarize biological characteristics and application of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. RETRIEVAL STRATEGYAn online search of Pubmed was undertaken by using the keywords of "Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, gene therapy, transplant"to identify the relevant articles published in English from January 1999 to December 2006. At the same time,Wanfang database was undertaken to identify the relevant articles published between January 1999 and December 2006 with the key words of "Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, gene therapy, transplant" in Chinese.The data were selected primarily, and then quotations of each article were checked. Inclusive criterionThe articles related to the biological characteristics and application of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were included. Exclusive criteriathe articles with repetitive research or Meta analysis were excluded.Totally 95 relevant articles were selected and 78 of them met the inclusive criterion. The 45 excluded articles were of old or repetitive content. LITERATURE EVALUATION Selected articles were on basic experiment or clinical study of the biological characteristics, cell transplantation and gene therapy of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. Totally 33 articles of the 78 articles met the inclusive criterion were included. Of them, 4 articles were on the isolation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, 3 on surface marker of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, 6 on biological characteristics of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, 3 on immune response between bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation and host and 17 on the application of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on disease therapy. DATA SYNTHESIS: In the suitable condition, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells can differentiate into multiple cells, such as bone, chondrocytes, fat, muscle, tendon, neuron-like cells, myocardial cells and stroma-cells that support hematopoietic stem cells. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells seem to be the cells of immunosuppression and low-down immunogenicity. It makes bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells used in systemic transplantation, local implantation, as a vehicle for genes in gene therapy protocols or to generate transplantable tissues and organs in tissue engineering protocols. The results of these initial trials are very encouraging in animal test and several clinical trials are successful in some patients. But the enough clinical trails and long-term safety of therapeutics based on bone mesenchymal stem cells are needed. CONCLUSION: Biological characteristics of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells have been gradually recognized. It is hoped that using bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in clinic will bring major advances in the therapy of some diseases.