Immunomodulatory properties of mesenchymal stem cells

Mesenchymal stem cells are a kind of adult stem cells existing in many tissues including bone marrow,liver,and fat and play a critical role in the maintenance of the cellular homeostasis in various tissues.Due to their strong self-renewal capacity and high potential of multilineage differentiation,MSCs are expected to contribute significantly to the development of new strategies for the treatment of some otherwise incurable disease.In addition,MSCs also possess strong immunomodulatory ability.They can actively suppress immune reactions after being stimulated by inflammatory cytokines,and therefore,they are being investigated for decreasing immunological rejections,prolonging the survival of allogeneic graft,and control autoimmune disorders.This review will focus on the current understanding of the mechanism of the interactions between MSCs and the immune system.