Stem cells heal the body
The natural function of stem cells is to detect damaged and dysfunctional cells in the body so that a renewal and healing process can begin. In short, stem cells heal the body.
The Little doctor inside your body
What are stem cells?
There are various types of cells in the human body that are important for maintaining health. These cells are necessary to move the body every day, such as moving the heart, thinking with the brain, cleaning blood with the kidneys, and creating new skin cells. The special task of stem cells is to make these cells.
Stem cells are the only cells and source in the body that make various cell types, such as blood, bone, nerve and muscle cells. They also repair damaged tissue.
So, stem cells are essential for the treatment of some diseases, such as blood cancer(leukemia), and have the potential to treat many other diseases.
Why stem cells are special
The function of stem cells
When a stem cell divides, it can divide into the same stem cell or become another cell. (1) self-replicating : capable of replicating cells with the same ability as themselves (2) multipotent : capable of differentiating into different lineages For example, Adipose derived adipose stem cells can make more fat cells, and they can also create differentiated dermal fibroblasts or cartilage tissues.
What are stem cell types?
Types of Stem Cell
We classify stem cell types by source or function.
For example, blood-forming stem cells in your bone marrow or can make new blood cells and platelets. But they can’t make new lung or liver stem cells.
- Hematopoietic stem cells ⇒ blood and immune cells.
- Mesenchymal stem cells ⇒ bone, cartilage, muscle, skin, hair and fat.
1. Embryonic (pluripotent) stem cells.
These cells have the power to become any cell type. We obtain embryonic stem cells from donated embryos during in vitro fertilization. Those stem cells have tissue-specific (multipotent or unipotent). The embryonic cells are like natural embryonic cells, which can turn into any kind of cell.
2. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS)
3. Adult Stem Cell : These cells can make new stem cells, but only for the tissue in which they live.
- Bone Marrow derived Stem Cell
- Adipose derived Stem Cell
- Periphral derived Stem Cell
- Umblilical derived Cord blood
- Amniotic fluid derived Stem Cell
※ As the ethical issues and safety of embryonic stem cells and pluripotent stem cells have not yet been secured, adult stem cells are currently being actively used and researched as a treatment.
The mechanism of mesenchymal stem cells
The homing effect of stem cells
Stem cells that have been injected into blood vessels will circulate throughout the blood. They exhibit factors that allow them to avoid attacks from the body’s immune function, and can make their rounds inside blood vessels for as long as three months.
Stem cells are able to use receptacles on their surfaces to latch onto signals sent from a diseased area. Stem cells inside a blood vessel will begin to accumulate at the diseased area.
Stem cells will adhere to the inner walls of blood vessels, prying them open to get to a diseased area and infiltrate the cellular tissues in that area.
Stem cells release cytokines into diseased tissues to repair and regenerate them. Over a period of approximately three to four months, they will start to change into the objective cells.
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※ References
(1) Japan Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Definition of Stem Cells
(2) AllStemcells.com> STEM CELL> WHAT ARE STEM CELLS?