Using stem cells in skin regeneration: possibilities and reality

Tissue-engineered skin has a long history of clinical applications, yet current treatments are not capable of completely regenerating normal, uninjured skin. Nonetheless, the field has experienced a tremendous development in the past 10 years, encountering the summit of tissue engineering (TE) and the arising of stem cell research. Since then, unique features of these cells such as self-renewal capacity, multi-lineage differentiation potential, and wound healing properties have been highlighted. However, a realistic perspective of their outcome in skin regenerative medicine applications is still absent. This review intends to discuss the directions that adult and embryonic stem cells (ESCs) can take, strengthening the skin regeneration field. Distinctively, a critical overview of stem cells' differentiation potential onto skin main lineages, along with a highlight of their participation in wound healing mechanisms, is herein provided. We aim to compile and review significant work to allow a better understanding of the best skin TE approaches, enabling the embodiment of the materialization of a new era in skin regeneration to come, with a conscious overview of the current limitations.