Prospects of mesenchymal stem cells in veterinary regenerative medicine and drug development

Abstract

Stem cells are wonder cells that function silently in an individual to grow and/to regenerate. There are various stem cell types; some especially embryonic stem cells (ESCs) favor individual development while more advanced cells like adult stem cells play mostly repair and tissue matrix secretion role. Among various adult stem cell types, mesenchymal stem cells play an important role to maintain tissue homeostasis. These cells are available in almost all the tissue types and exhibit features similar to the ESCs. These cells are immunoevasive, immune modulatory, and/anti-inflammatory, and bear properties of self-renewal (although limited), multiplication, and differentiation. In addition, these cells are able to migrate and home-in to the distant tissues. All these features make these cells potential candidates for therapeutic applications and drug development. There are various studies that have favored their role in therapeutics and drug development, although more studies and further insights are desired to make stem cell therapy a definitive therapeutic option.