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World J Stem Cells. Aug 26, 2021; 13(8): 1049-1057
Published online Aug 26, 2021. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v13.i8.1049
Antler stem cells and their potential in wound healing and bone regeneration
Wei Zhang, Chang-Hong Ke, Hai-Hua Guo, Li Xiao
Wei Zhang, Medical Imaging Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, China
Wei Zhang, Chang-Hong Ke, Research & Development Center, YZ Health-tech Inc., Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong Province, China
Chang-Hong Ke, School of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, China
Hai-Hua Guo, Institute of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, Guangdong Province, China
Li Xiao, Guangdong Laboratory Animals Monitoring Institute and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Laboratory Animals, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, China
Author contributions: Zhang W and Ke CH contributed equally to this work; Zhang W, Ke CH, and Xiao L designed this paper; Zhang W and Ke KH wrote the paper; Guo HH and Xiao L made the pictures and revised the paper; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose.
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: Li Xiao, MS, Assistant Professor, Guangdong Laboratory Animals Monitoring Institute and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Laboratory Animals, No. 11 Fengxin Road, Science City, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, China. xiaoli19900202@163.com
Received: February 27, 2021
Peer-review started: February 27, 2021
First decision: April 20, 2021
Revised: May 10, 2021
Accepted: July 27, 2021
Article in press: July 27, 2021
Published online: August 26, 2021
Processing time: 173 Days and 12.8 Hours
Abstract

Compared to other vertebrates, the regenerative capacity of appendages in mammals is very limited. Deer antlers are an exception and can fully regenerate annually in postnatal mammals. This process is initiated by the antler stem cells (AnSCs). AnSCs can be divided into three types: (1) Antlerogenic periosteum cells (for initial pedicle and first antler formation); (2) Pedicle periosteum cells (for annual antler regeneration); and (3) Reserve mesenchyme cells (RMCs) (for rapid antler growth). Previous studies have demonstrated that AnSCs express both classic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and embryonic stem cells (ESCs), and are able to differentiate into multiple cell types in vitro. Thus, AnSCs were defined as MSCs, but with partial ESC attributes. Near-perfect generative wound healing can naturally occur in deer, and wound healing can be achieved by the direct injection of AnSCs or topical application of conditioned medium of AnSCs in rats. In addition, in rabbits, the use of both implants with AnSCs and cell-free preparations derived from AnSCs can stimulate osteogenesis and repair defects of bone. A more comprehensive understanding of AnSCs will lay the foundation for developing an effective clinical therapy for wound healing and bone repair.

Keywords: Antler; Stem cells; Regeneration; Wound healing; Bone repair

Core Tip: With the development of regenerative medicine in recent years, stem cell-based strategies for wound healing and bone repair have received increasing attention. Deer are the only mammals that can fully regenerate a complex organ (antler) annually. In this paper, by reviewing current publications, we summarize the molecular characterizations, locations, and functions of antler stem cells (AnSCs) to deepen our understanding of the unique stem cell-based epimorphic process in mammals. We also describe the research progress and future directions of AnSCs-based/cell-free therapies for wound healing and bone repair, focusing on the use of antlerogenic periosteum cells, pedicle periosteum cells, reserve mesenchyme cells, and extracellular molecules derived from AnSCs.