Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells

Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) are a type of stem cell isolated from the Wharton's jelly of the umbilical cord. They are considered a valuable source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with regenerative and therapeutic potential.

Pluripotency: hUCMSCs are multipotent stem cells, meaning they can differentiate into various cell types, including bone, cartilage, adipose tissue, and neural cells. This differentiation potential makes them valuable for regenerative medicine.

Immunomodulatory Properties: These cells possess immunomodulatory properties, meaning they can modulate the immune system's responses. This feature can be useful in treating inflammatory and autoimmune conditions.

Abundant Source: Umbilical cords are typically discarded after birth, and hUCMSCs can be harvested without ethical concerns. This makes them a readily available and ethical source of stem cells.

Low Immunogenicity: hUCMSCs have a lower risk of being rejected by the immune system, making them potentially suitable for allogeneic transplantation, where cells from one individual are used for treatment in another.

Tissue Regeneration: These stem cells have shown promise in tissue regeneration and repair, making them candidates for treating conditions like spinal cord injuries, osteoarthritis, and heart disease.

Neuroprotective Effects: hUCMSCs have demonstrated neuroprotective and neuroregenerative properties, suggesting their potential in treating neurodegenerative disorders.

Research and Clinical Applications: Research is ongoing to explore the therapeutic potential of hUCMSCs in various medical fields, including regenerative medicine, orthopedics, neurology, and immunology.

Safety and Ethical Considerations: While hUCMSCs offer many advantages, rigorous safety testing and ethical guidelines are essential to ensure their safe and ethical use in clinical applications.

Overall, human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells hold great promise in regenerative medicine and have the potential to address a wide range of medical conditions. Their accessibility, differentiation capacity, and immunomodulatory properties make them a valuable resource in the field of stem cell research and therapy.

Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) can lead to mitochondrial dysfunction and energy depletion within the affected microenvironment. The objective was to investigate the potential of transplanting mitochondria to reshape the neural regeneration microenvironment. High-purity functional mitochondria with an intact structure were extracted from Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) using the Dounce homogenization combined with ultracentrifugation. Results showed that when hUCMSC-derived mitochondria (hUCMSC-Mitos) were co-cultured with Schwann cells (SCs), they promoted the proliferation, migration, and respiratory capacity of SCs. Acellular nerve allografts (ANAs) have shown promise in nerve regeneration, however, their therapeutic effect is not satisfactory enough. The incorporation of Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells-Mitos within ANAs (referred to as Mito-ANAs) has the potential to remodel the regenerative microenvironment. This approach demonstrated satisfactory outcomes in terms of tissue regeneration and functional recovery. Particularly, they propose for the first time the use of metabolomics and bioenergetic profiling to analyze the energy metabolism microenvironment after PNI. This remodeling occurs through the enhancement of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and the regulation of associated metabolites, resulting in increased energy synthesis. Overall, the hUCMSC-Mito-loaded ANAs exhibited high functionality to promote nerve regeneration, providing a novel regenerative strategy based on improving energy metabolism for neural repair ¹⁾