Immunomodulatory function of mesenchymal stem cells: regulation and application

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been regarded as an attractive and promising tool for cell-based therapy in immune disorders and inflammatory diseases, as well as for regenerative medicine, owing to their potent immunomodulatory function, paracrine effects and capacity of multilineage differentiation. However, a lot of factors, such as inflammatory factors, can influence their immunomodulatory function and thus change their efficiency and clinical outcomes in clinical application. In this review we try to summarize the immunomodulatory function of MSCs, factors in microenvironment which might influence this function, as well as their potential application and challenges.