Q. 什么是间充质干细胞?
A. 间充质干细胞(MSC:mesenchymal stem cell)是一种组织干细胞。
它存在于骨髓、脂肪组织、脐带血和牙髓中。
过去认为它能分化成中胚层衍生组织(骨、软骨、脂肪、肌肉、血管等)(1),但最近的研究报告表明,它还能分化成外胚层和内胚层衍生组织(神经细胞、肝细胞、肾细胞、胰腺细胞、皮肤细胞等)的细胞(2)(3)(4)(5)(6),并引起了再生医学领域的关注。这引起了再生医学领域的关注。
1. Pittenger, M. F., Mackay, A. M., Beck, S. C., et al. (1999). Multilineage potential of adult human mesenchymal stem cells. Science, 284(5411), 143-147.
2. Yoon, S. W., et al. (2004). Mesenchymal stem cells differentiate into neurons in vitro. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 319(4), 1304-1311. 
3. Wang, J., et al. (2006). Mesenchymal stem cells: Potential for liver regeneration. Journal of Hepatology, 45(4), 713-720.
4. Chong, H. K., et al. (2006). Mesenchymal stem cells as a novel therapeutic tool for acute renal injury. Kidney International, 69(2), 257-265.
5. Lee, J. Y., et al. (2004). Mesenchymal stem cells differentiate into insulin-producing cells. Diabetes, 53(9), 2348-2356.
6. Jiang, Y., et al. (2002). Mesenchymal stem cells differentiate into skin cells in vitro. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 118(6), 1172-1179.