Adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the capacity for self-renewal and for differentiating into a variety of cells and
tissues. They may leave their niche to migrate to remote tissues and play a critical role in wound repair and tissue regeneration.
Because of their multipotency, easy isolation and culture, highly expansive potential, and immunosuppression properties, these
cells may be an attractive therapeutic tool for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Several studies have indicated
a contribution of MSCs to reconstituting skin in cutaneous wounds, but problems still need resolution before MSCs can be widely
used clinically. This review focuses mainly on the benefits of MSCs in skin wound healing and tissue regeneration and on the
questions that remain to be answered before MSCs can be used in clinical practice.
Keywords Mesenchymal stem cells - Skin - Injury - Repair - Regeneration
This study was supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30730090, 30672176, 30500194) and by
State Key Development Program of Basic Research of China (973 Program, 2005CB522603).