Internal medicine

Pathology

Receptor

Mesenchymal stem cell

Microvesicles

Granulation tissue

Neovascularization

Fibrosis

Biology

Gene

Regenerative medicine

microRNA

Extracellular matrix

Regeneration (biology)

Immunology

Inflammation

Angiogenesis

Stem cell

Wound healing

Cell biology

Cancer research

Biochemistry

Medicine

Paracrine signalling

Cells

Tissue repair and regeneration after damage is not completely understood, and current therapies to support this process are limited. The wound healing process is associated with cell migration and proliferation, extracellular matrix remodeling, angiogenesis and re-epithelialization. In normal conditions, a wound will lead to healing, resulting in reparation of the tissue. Several risk factors, chronic inflammation, and some diseases lead to a deficient wound closure, producing a scar that can finish with a pathological fibrosis. Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are widely used for their regenerative capacity and their possible therapeutically potential. Derived products of MSCs, such as exosomes or extravesicles, have shown a therapeutic potential similar to MSCs, and these cell-free products may be interesting in clinics. MSCs or their derivative products have shown paracrine beneficial effects, regulating inflammation, modifying the fibroblast activation and production of collagen and promoting neovascularization and re-epithelialization. This review describes the effects of MSCs and their derived products in each step of the wound repair process. As well, it reviews the pre-clinical and clinical use of MSCs to benefit in skin wound healing in diabetic associated wounds and in pathophysiological fibrosis.

The Role of MSC in Wound Healing, Scarring and Regeneration