World Journal of Stem Cells

BACKGROUND Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is an inherited arrhythmia linked to a high risk of sudden cardiac death. LQTS type 2 is mainly caused by KCNH2 mutations. Even among carriers of the same pathogenic KCNH2 variant, clinical manifestations and disease severity vary, with the underlying mechanisms remaining unclear. AIM To investigate mechanisms underlying variable clinical severity amo…

Osteoarthritis (OA) remains a highly prevalent degenerative joint disorder for which truly disease-modifying therapies are still lacking. Accumulating evidence positions mitochondrial dysfunction and impaired mitochondrial quality control as central drivers of chondrocyte failure, extracellular matrix breakdown, and inflammation amplification. Mitophagy—particularly the phosphatase and tensin hom…

In this letter, we comment on the study by Jiang et al published in the recent issue of the World Journal of Stem Cells , which explores a combined therapeutic approach of exercise with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for Parkinson’s disease (PD) using a mouse model. Currently, PD is primarily treated symptomatically as there are no treatment options available to prevent or cure it. While …

Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells (iMSCs) depict a transformative tool in regenerative medicine, offering scalable, patient-specific alternatives to primary mesenchymal stem cells. The recent study by Ababneh et al published in the World Journal of Stem Cells provides a comprehensive comparison of five differentiation protocols, highlighting protocol-dependent variation…

BACKGROUND Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) hold great promise for aesthetic dermatology due to their self-renewal, multipotency, and paracrine effects. However, MSCs derived from aged donors exhibit limited therapeutic efficacy in autologous applications due to their impaired regenerative potential. Hypoxic preconditioning has been explored as an effective strategy to improve the potential of stem …

Knee osteoarthritis is recognised as a whole-joint disorder involving cartilage, synovium, subchondral bone and nociceptive pathways. Conventional therapies provide symptomatic relief but rarely alter structural progression. Mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) injections improve pain and function, yet structural benefits remain modest and variable. Increasing evidence indicates that much of the MSC ef…

Cell-cell fusion is a fundamental biological process contributing to tissue development, homeostasis, and regeneration. Physiological fusion in the placenta, skeletal muscle, bone, and immune system is mediated by tightly regulated fusogens and microenvironmental cues. Dysregulated fusion, however, can lead to pathological outcomes, including malignant cell hybrids and viral syncytia. Stem cell-s…

BACKGROUND Postoperative recurrence and cancer-related mortality remain significant challenges following curative resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Conventional clinicopathological parameters inadequately capture tumor biological heterogeneity; therefore, reliable tissue biomarkers that reflect stemness-associated aggressiveness are required for early postoperative risk stratification…

BACKGROUND Stem cell-derived exosomes represent a promising cell-free strategy for bone regeneration, yet the mechanisms underlying their osteogenic effects remain incompletely defined. Hypoxic preconditioning has been reported to enhance exosome bioactivity, but its potential interaction with mechanosensitive signaling pathways during osteogenesis is poorly understood. AIM To evaluate the osteog…

Endometrial disorders, notably intrauterine adhesions and thin endometrium, are major causes of female infertility and are often poorly managed by conventional therapies. Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells and their exosomes have emerged as promising regenerative alternatives, leveraging their immunomodulatory, anti-fibrotic, and pro-angiogenic properties. This review provides a …

This article provides an in-depth commentary on the study by Wang et al , which elucidates that the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α)/β-catenin axis serves as a core hub regulating the function of peripheral blood mesenchymal stem cells (PBMSCs) under hypoxic conditions. The research confirms that in a hypoxic environment, HIF-1α acts as an upstream regulator by directly binding to and activat…

BACKGROUND Chronic non-healing diabetic wounds are driven by persistent inflammation, impaired fibroblast function, and defective neovascularization. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapies show promise, but their efficacy is limited by suboptimal paracrine and immunomodulatory activity. AIM To determine whether erythropoietin-overexpressing MSCs (EPO-MSCs) enhance diabetic wound healing and …

Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), encompassing therapies derived from mesenchymal stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, and their extracellular vesicles, hold substantial transformative potential for clinical applications. However, their translation from bench to bedside and eventual commercialization is hindered by considerable scientific, manufacturing, and regulatory challenge…

BACKGROUND The proliferation and self-renewal of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are essential for maintaining the sperm production process. The molecular mechanisms of self-renewal and differentiation of SSCs have not been fully clarified, although the functions of some regulatory factors in SSCs have been previously reported. AIM To investigate the role of forkhead box P1 (FOXP1) in regulating…

BACKGROUND Accumulating studies suggest that mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived extracellular vesicles mitigate myocardial injury by modulating intercellular communication pathways. Notably, exosomes from hypoxia-preconditioned MSCs (HPC-Exo) demonstrate superior therapeutic efficacy in ischemic heart disease compared with those from normoxic MSCs although the underlying molecular mechanisms rem…

BACKGROUND Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small particles that range between 30-150 nanometers in size and are made of two phospholipid bilayers. The EVs play an important role in cell-to-cell communication to perform functional roles in regeneration. Despite the therapeutic prospects for their use in clinical settings, the use of EVs in standard daily clinical practice is limited, which is due…

BACKGROUND Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) has been demonstrated to grow both subcutaneous adipose tissue and the dermis which may occur through stimulation of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSC). These cells maintain the integumentary system by regulating fibroblasts and immune cells, sustaining the extracellular matrix, and combating oxidative stress. AIM To use multiplex immunofluorescence to characte…

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent progenitor cells extensively studied for their immunomodulatory and regenerative potential. Despite their therapeutic promise, MSC efficacy can be limited by poor survival, reduced homing, and variable immunoregulatory activity in inflammatory microenvironments. To overcome these challenges, priming strategies have been developed to precondition MSCs,…

BACKGROUND Anti-aging for the preservation and recovery of physical and brain functions may be a major topic of regenerative medicine in the super-aging society. Stem cells and their secretory active molecules can play a central role of regenerative medicine. AIM To investigate whether extracellular vesicles (EVs) from amniotic membrane stem cells (AMSCs) enhance physical activity, including stam…

Trauma to the articular cartilage leads to movement restriction. As the articular cartilage has a definitive regeneration capacity owing to its avascular and aneural nature, several therapeutic approaches have been explored. Cong et al elaborated on the strategies and innovations in stem cell-based cartilage regeneration. Its systematic organization - advancing from cartilage structure to stem ce…