Journey of mesenchymal stem cells in biomedical research: Current aspects and scenario

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are adult stem cells that can be isolated from humans or animals. Human MSCs are multipotent stem cells that have a great potential to differentiate into mesoderm as well as endoderm lineage. Human mesenchymal stem cells (HMSCs) can be cultured for a long time purpose in cell-specific media without any abnormalities. Up to now, MSCs are isolated from different tissues including adipose tissue, amniotic fluid, endometrium, dental tissues, umbilical cord, and Wharton's jelly. MSCs possess low immunogenicity and strong immunomodulation potential; they secrete cytokines and use immune receptor which keeps the check on the microenvironment within the tissue. Their multilineage potential, immunomodulation, and production of anti-inflammatory molecules made MSCs use in clinical research and treatments. Their differential potential together with the property to secrete soluble factors and release extracellular vesicles like exosomes and microvesicles enable them to serve the purpose of tissue repair. Recent studies suggested that extracellular vesicles that serve as the cargo of mRNA, miRNA, and proteins are responsible for the therapeutic effects of MSCs. MSCs are now widely considered as the best tool for regenerating tissues due to their fast self-renewal property, their easy accessibility with a lesser ethical concern for clinical applications. MSCs clinical applications include cartilage and bone repair, tissue healing, heart, and neuronal regeneration, and treatment of different immune disorders including graft versus host disease (GvHD). Their great potential allows them to treat even many incurable diseases. This review gives detailed information on MSCs, their sources, definite properties, biomarkers, and applications. The wide potential of MSCs in today’s scenario is seen in the field of toxicology studies and cancer research.