Wharton´S Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy For Skin Wound Healing

Abstract

The management of chronic wounds still remains an important unsolved problem in clinical practice. Different therapeutic approach-es, including regenerative medicine or tissue engineering strategies, have been used to ameliorate this pathology to achieve skin regeneration. Mesenchymal stem cells represent a potential therapeutic option for chronic wounds due to their differentiation, proliferation, and immunomodulatory properties. Among them, Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem cells from the umbilical cord are a type of ex- traembryonic stem cells that have been proven to be very effective for treating chronic wounds. These cells possess some advantages when compared to adult mesenchymal stem cells such as higher proliferation rate, multipotency, and low immunogenicity. They act as potent immunomodulators during the inflammation phase of wound healing and are also involved in replacing the damaged skin tissue. In this review we will discuss the findings obtained in different preclin ical and clinical studies performed with Wharton´s jelly mesenchymal stem cells systemically administered, implanted on a biocompatible scaffold, or using mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular ves- icles or their conditioned medium as possible treatments for chronic wounds