info-2549
The human body is made of millions of cells, and stem cells are one of the specialized cell types that can develop and multiply tissue or organ-specific cells to restore function. These undifferentiated cells can become almost any cell type and, hence, are used in regenerative medicine treatment to repair or replace damaged tissues, promoting healing naturally.
Pluripotent stem cells are known for their high multilineage potential to differentiate into any cell type based on the origin of the tissue. Embryonic stem cells and human umbilical cord tissue-derived stem cells are pluripotent. They are widely used in regenerative stem cell- therapy because of their high proliferation capacity and differentiation potential.
This type of stem cell can reproduce cells of only one type specific to an organ or tissue. For instance, an adult muscle stem cell can develop into a new muscle cell, or an epidermal stem cell can only produce skin cells.
Totipotent stem cells are embryonic stem cells that can self-renew and form specialized cell layers of the early embryo, extra-embryonic structures, and embryonic tissue like the placenta.
Oligopotent stem cells have limited differentiation potential and can form only a few cell types, such as myoblast stem cells, that can differentiate into white blood cells of neutrophils, basophils, and eosinophils.
Embryonic stem cells fall under pluripotent cells and are obtained from early-stage embryos. Around three to five days after fertilization the embryo forms a ball of cells called blastocyst before implanting in the world. Embryonic stem cells are extracted from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst, which is a ball or cluster of cells developed from a fertilized egg.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are isolated from the connective tissues surrounding other body tissues or organs, such as bone marrow, fat or adipose tissue, bone, and cartilage. They are used in treating various health conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Autism, Muscular Dystrophy, cardiac diseases, orthopedic injuries, and more.
Researchers and clinicians have discovered that stem cells derived from human umbilical cord tissue (Wharton’s Jelly) have the remarkable potential to differentiate into specialized cells to repair or replace damaged cells in the affected areas.
Induced pluripotent cells are created in labs by scientists by extracting stem cells from adult tissue. The properties of the adult stem cells are altered using genetic reprogramming to induce the characteristics of pluripotent cells. Since these cells behave like embryonic stem cells and can transform into any cell type, they are widely used in developing stem cell-based therapies for various diseases.
Multipotent stem cells are adult stem cells present in small numbers in specific tissues in the body, with limited capabilities to differentiate and produce new cells for performing specialized functions. Bone marrow, adipose or fat tissues, etc., are examples of multipotent stem cells. Medical professionals utilize stem cell therapy using multipotent cells for treating blood-related disorders and post-cancer recovery for Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Myeloma.
