Placenta as a Source of Stem Cells for Regenerative Medicine

Abstract The development of effective cell transplantation therapies is currently the focus of biomedical research worldwide, and numerous cell types and sources have been explored for applications in regenerative medicine. The placenta is a unique organ of fetomaternal origin that plays an important role in fetal development, and multiple types of placenta-derived stem cells show great promise for application in regenerative medicine. This review concisely summarizes the recent proceedings on the characterization, biological properties, and applications of mesenchymal stem cells that have been isolated from various anatomic regions of the placenta and at different gestational ages. In addition, this review summarizes recent studies that have isolated amniotic epithelial cells, hematopoietic stem cells, and trophoblast stem cells from placental tissue.
Source: Current Pathobiology Reports - Category: Laboratory Medicine Source Type: research