What are mesenchymal stem cells?


What are mesenchymal stem cells?

Mesenchymal stem cells—important members of the stem cell family—are derived from the early-developing mesoderm and ectoderm. The germ layer, initially discovered in bone marrow, was later confirmed to represent a diverse group of non-hematopoietic adult stem/progenitor-like cells residing within the bone marrow stroma. As a result, these cells are referred to as bone marrow stromal cells, mesenchymal stem cells, or multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells. Beyond bone marrow, mesenchymal stem/progenitor-like cells can also be found in various other tissues, including the umbilical cord, placenta, adipose tissue, articular synovial membrane, bone, skin, pancreas, blood, fetal liver, lungs, and umbilical cord blood.