Different priming strategies improve distinct therapeutic capabilities of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells: Potential implications for their clinical use

Figure 1 Potential mechanisms mediating mesenchymal stromal/stem cell-primed therapeutic properties. Mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) can be primed through different signals, including hypoxia, three-dimensional cultures, and inflammatory cytokines to obtain a therapeutic phenotype. The potential mediators of this new phenotype comprise a plethora of regulatory molecules within MSCs, including surface receptors and ligands, signalling molecules inducing survival/growth, regulatory molecules such as microRNAs, and transcription factors regulating several pathways. Thus, primed MSCs can modulate inflammation, stimulate angiogenesis, and promote tissue repair/regeneration. MSCs: Mesenchymal stromal/stem cells; miRNAs: MicroRNAs.