Advances in Mechanisms for Prevention and Treatment of Pathological Scars with Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Pathological scars,including keloids and hypertrophic scars,result from aberrations in the process of physiologic wound healing.An exaggerated inflammatory process is one of the main pathophysiological contributors.Pathological scars may cause pain and pruritis,limit joint mobility,and cause a range of cosmetic deformities that affect the patient's quality of life.However,the effectiveness of currently available prevention and treatment measures remains unsatisfactory.Mesenchymal stem cells,among their multifunctional roles,have the functions of immunomodulation and promotion of angiogenesis.Thus,they have been proposed to be a major candidate for cell therapy to treat or prevent pathologicalscars.This article reviews the mechanism and potentials of stem cell therapy in the prevention and treatment of pathological scars.