Biological Aspects and Clinical Applications of Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Key Features You Need to be Aware of

Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs), a form of adult stem cells, are known to have a selfrenewing property and the potential to specialize into a multitude of cells and tissues such as adipocytes, cartilage cells, and fibroblasts. MSCs can migrate and home to the desired target zone where inflammation is present. The unique characteristics of MSCs in repairing, differentiation, regeneration, and the high capacity of immune modulation have attracted tremendous attention for exerting them in clinical purposes, as they contribute to the tissue regeneration process and anti-tumor activity. The MSCs-based treatment has demonstrated remarkable applicability towards various diseases such as heart and bone malignancies, and cancer cells. Importantly, genetically engineered MSCs, as a stateof- the-art therapeutic approach, could address some clinical hurdles by systemic secretion of cytokines and other agents with a short half-life and high toxicity. Therefore, understanding the biological aspects and the characteristics of MSCs is an imperative issue of concern. Herein, we provide an overview of the therapeutic application and the biological features of MSCs against different inflammatory diseases and cancer cells. We further shed light on MSCs' physiological interaction, such as migration, homing, and tissue repairing mechanisms in different healthy and inflamed tissues.