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World J Stem Cells. Jun 26, 2021; 13(6): 619-631
Published online Jun 26, 2021. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v13.i6.619
Biological, chemical and mechanical factors regulating migration and homing of mesenchymal stem cells
Renata Szydlak
Renata Szydlak, Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków 31-034, Poland
Author contributions: Szydlak R wrote the paper.
Supported by National Center for Research and Development in Poland, No. STRATEGMED2/265761/10/NCBR/2015.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author declares having no conflict of interests for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Renata Szydlak, PhD, Postdoc, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kopernika 7, Kraków 31-034, Poland. renata.szydlak@doctoral.uj.edu.pl
Received: February 27, 2021
Peer-review started: February 27, 2021
First decision: March 29, 2021
Revised: April 3, 2021
Accepted: May 17, 2021
Article in press: May 17, 2021
Published online: June 26, 2021
Processing time: 118 Days and 19.1 Hours
Abstract

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a population of primary and non-specialized cells, which can be isolated from various tissues. Currently, MSCs are key players in cellular therapy and regenerative medicine. However, the possibility of using MSCs in the treatment of many diseases needs to be preceded, though, by in-depth analysis of their properties, especially by determining the mechanism of tissue homing as well as the mechanism, due to which cells contribute to tissue regeneration. This review is intended to present information on recent findings regarding the mechanism of recruitment and tissue homing by MSCs and discuss current hypotheses for how MSCs can reach target tissues.

Keywords: Mesenchymal stem cell; Cell migration; Regenerative medicine; Mesenchymal stem cell-based therapy

Core Tip: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been extensively studied for their therapeutic potential in clinical practice and regenerative medicine. MSCs can migrate towards damaged tissue and act as reservoirs for regenerative molecules and growth factors. Consequently, MSC-based therapies rely on the successful migration of these cells into the damaged tissue following administration. Here we look at the factors influencing the migration and colonization of damaged tissues by MSCs.