Published: Regen Med. 2012 Nov;7(6):833-50. doi: 10.2217/rme.12.82.
Keyword: endothelial progenitor cell, hematopoietic stem cell, mesenchymal stem cell, stem cell recruitment, tissue regeneration, very small embryonic-like cell
Author(s): "Rennert RC, Sorkin M, Garg RK, Gurtner GC"
Summary: Tissue repair and regeneration are thought to involve resident cell proliferation as well as the selective recruitment of circulating stem and progenitor cell populations through complex signaling cascades. Many of these recruited cells originate from the bone marrow, and specific subpopulations of bone marrow cells have been isolated and used to augment adult tissue regeneration in preclinical models. Clinical studies of cell-based therapies have reported mixed results, however, and a variety of approaches to enhance the regenerative capacity of stem cell therapies are being developed based on emerging insights into the mechanisms of progenitor cell biology and recruitment following injury. This article discusses the function and mechanisms of recruitment of important bone marrow-derived stem and progenitor cell populations following injury, as well as the emerging therapeutic applications targeting these cells.