Science and Research

Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Fibrotic Disease

Fibrosis is associated with organ failure and high mortality and is commonly characterized by aberrant myofibroblast accumulation. Investigating the cellular origin of myofibroblasts in various diseases is thus a promising strategy for developing targeted anti-fibrotic treatments. Recent studies using genetic lineage tracing technology have implicated diverse organ-resident perivascular mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-like cells and bone marrow-MSCs in myofibroblast generation during fibrosis development. In this Review, we give an overview of the emerging role of MSCs and MSC-like cells in myofibroblast-mediated fibrotic disease in the kidney, lung, heart, liver, skin, and bone marrow.

  • El Agha, E.
  • Kramann, R.
  • Schneider, R. K.
  • Li, X.
  • Seeger, W.
  • Humphreys, B. D.
  • Bellusci, S.

Keywords

  • lineage tracing
  • mesenchymal stem cells
  • organ fibrosis
Publication details
DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2017.07.011
Journal: Cell stem cell
Pages: 166-177 
Number: 2
Work Type: Review
Location: UGMLC
Disease Area: DPLD
Partner / Member: JLU
Access-Number: 28777943

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