Current progress of mesenchymal stem cells in tissue engineering trachea

Tissue engineering can regenerate damaged tissues and restore the biological functions by cell or tissue reconstruction, and is becoming a promising method for trachea replacement. Seed cells, cell growth factors and tracheal scaffolds are the three major elements of tissue engineering trachea, as a result researchers have paid a lot of attention to find ideal seed cells. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a kind of stem cells with high self-renewal ability and multi-directional differentiation potential. MSCs are widely distributed in bone marrow, umbilical cord, adipose tissue, myocardial tissue, brain, muscle and skin, and can differentiate into a variety of cells, including osteocytes, chondrocytes, adipocytes and neurocytes. MSCs have the characteristics of high proliferation ability, wide differentiation range and immunomodulatory function, which can be used to repair damaged tissue. These advantages make the MSCs an ideal candidate of seed cells for tissue engineering trachea. This review mainly summarized the application of MSCs in tissue engineering trachea. Key words: Tissue engineering trachea; Seed cells; Mesenchymal stem cells