Current Perspectives of Therapeutic Applications of Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Various Diseases

Abstract

The mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are the major focus of attention in regenerative medicine because of their intrinsic properties such as differentiation potential (can differentiate into various specialized cell types such as osteoblasts, chondrocytes, myocytes, and adipocytes), high self-renewal capacity, low immunogenicity and having immunomodulatory abilities. These cells can facilitate tissue repair by releasing biologically active molecules such as cytokines, growth factors, etc. Umbilical cord tissue is the rich and potential source of stem cells; especially MSCs. Isolation of MSCs from the umbilical cord is promising because of several advantages such as ease of availability, non-invasive procedure, and minimal ethical limitations, and also high proliferation capacity, plasticity, self-renewal capacity, and immunomodulatory activity than the MSCs from various origins. In this review, we summarized the latest progress in the applications of Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) as regenerative medicine in various diseases.