[Biological characteristics and application prospect of mesenchymal stem cells in male infertility]

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are somatic stem cells capable of self-renewing and multipotent differentiation. They are also referred to as " seed cells" in tissue engineering. Recent years have witnessed great advances in the studies of the differentiative potential and paracrine function of MSCs, as well as in their clinical applications in several fields. As for their application in male infertility, researches are still in the stage of animal experiments. However, with deeper insights into their huge potential, novel and effective MSC-based therapies for male infertility will come into being in the near future.