The use of human sweat gland-derived stem cells for enhancing vascularization during dermal regeneration.

Vascularization is a key process in tissue engineering and regeneration and represents one of the most important issues in the field of regenerative medicine. Thus, several strategies to improve vascularization are currently under clinical evaluation. In this study, stem cells derived from human sweat glands were isolated, characterized, seeded in collagen scaffolds, and engrafted in a mouse full skin defect model for dermal regeneration.

The role of alpha-smooth muscle actin in myogenic differentiation of human glandular stem cells and their potential for smooth muscle cell replacement therapies.

Importance Of The Field: Cellular replacement therapies in vascular and urogenital organ disorders require an abundant source of smooth muscle cells. A promising approach would be the directed myogenic differentiation (characterized by the expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA)) into a sufficient amount of smooth muscle cells through easily obtainable adult stem cells, for example from the sweat gland.

Areas Covered In This Review: We present novel multipotent adult stem cell populations derived from glandular tissues like pancreas, salivary gland and sweat gland and assess their myogenic potential.

Controlling alpha-SMA expression in adult human pancreatic stem cells by soluble factors.

In the application of adult stem cells in regenerative medicine, it is indispensable to control stem cell behaviour in vitro. Since stem cells spontaneously differentiate into several cell types, it is mandatory to identify methods to enrich the desired cell types and concurrently block other differentiation pathways. More precisely, generation of a defined cell population is a key prerequisite for a therapeutic application of stem cells.