Activity of mesenchymal stem cells in therapies for chronic skin wound healing

Abstract

Chronic or non-healing skin wounds present an ongoing challenge in advanced wound care, particularly as the number of patients increases while technology aimed at stimulating wound healing in these cases remains inefficient. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have proved to be an attractive cell type for various cell therapies due to their ability to differentiate into various cell lineages, multiple donor tissue types, and relative resilience in ex-vivo expansion, as well as immunomodulatory effects during transplants. More recently, these cells have been targeted for use in strategies to improve chronic wound healing in patients with diabetic ulcers or other stasis wounds. Here, we outline several mechanisms by which MSCs can improve healing outcomes in these cases, including reducing tissue inflammation, inducing angiogenesis in the wound bed, and reducing scarring following the repair process. Approaches to extend MSC life span in implant sites are also examined. © 2014 Landes Bioscience.