Heterogeneity of MSC: Origin, Molecular Identities, and Functionality

Furthermore, MSCs even within the same tissue may vary dynamically in response to local inflammatory milieus after tissue damage [4] and subject to changes in biological functionality after in vitro isolation and expansion [5], which may also be involved in altered secretion of regulatory cytokines and growth factors. [...]elucidation of the heterogeneity MSC pool is of particular interest and significance in the field of cell-based therapy by utilizing optimal donner cells to maximize therapeutical benefits. Through a large body of secretomes, including soluble factors, extracellular vesicles, and microRNA, MSCs are able to suppress cell apoptosis, cell necrosis, renal fibrosis, renal inflammation, and oxidative stress as well as to promote autophagy, but the effectiveness varies among MSCs derived from adipose tissue, bone marrow, and cord blood, suggesting therapeutic heterogeneity within the MSC pool. (1) V. T. Nguyen et al. collected MSCs from bone marrow, from acetabular subchondral bone, and from trabecular bone on the femoral head with focus on osteogenic differentiation and found that the progenitor cells obtained from diverse surgical sites in a hip replacement procedure share common characteristics of MSC but differ in plasticity: in osteogenic differentiation condition, the cells from the acetabulum had the lowest accumulation of calcium deposit while the cells that originated from bone marrow and femur created a considerably increased amount of the deposit; in chondrogenic and adipogenic conditions, bone marrow cells possessed a predominant differential capacity compared with the others.