[Role of mesenchymal stem cells in angiogenesis and clinical applications]

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are multipotent cells able to differentiate into multiple lineages including cardiomyocytes and vascular endothelial cells under in vitro culture conditions. In vivo studies have shown that MSC can facilitate angiogenesis, and they localize to the site of ischemic injury which block or reverse the pathologic process. All the data suggest that MSC may be a promising strategy in the treatment of ischemic heart diseases. In recent years, more and more reports demonstrated that researchers have made enormous advances in this field. This review focuses on the angiogenesis and therapeutic applications of MSC derived from human bone marrow, including basic biological features of MSC, role of MSC in angiogenesis, preclinical study of MSC therapy in ischemic heart disease and prospect of MSC application in this disease.