Human Fetal Membranes: A Source of Stem Cells for Tissue Regeneration and Repair?

In utero repair of myelomeningocele with autologous amniotic membrane in the fetal lamb model

“…These gestational tissues are an attractive source for regenerative medicine as they are autologous, readily available, and can be harvested with acceptable risks to the mother and fetus. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been harvested from the amnion, chorion, and amniotic fluid and shown to have similar properties to those MSCs derived from bone marrow [19][20][21]. Furthermore, another multipotent cell population, human amnion epithelial cells (hAECs), has been isolated from amnion and shown to have anti-inflammatory effects [21,22].…”

“…Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been harvested from the amnion, chorion, and amniotic fluid and shown to have similar properties to those MSCs derived from bone marrow [19][20][21]. Furthermore, another multipotent cell population, human amnion epithelial cells (hAECs), has been isolated from amnion and shown to have anti-inflammatory effects [21,22]. These immunoprotective and regenerative functions may play a protective role for developing spinal cord tissue and contribute to the preservation of neural tissue and motor neurons.…”

Multipotent mesenchymal stem cells from human placenta: critical parameters for isolation and maintenance of stemness after isolation

“…MSCs have been derived from many different organs and tissues 4 Evidence has emerged that also different parts of human placenta, umbilical cord, amniotic membrane, as well as umbilical cord blood harbor MSCs. [5][6][7][8][9] These tissues are normally discarded after birth, avoiding ethical concerns. 10 Mechanical as well as enzymatic methods for MSC isolation from different regions of human placenta of different gestational ages were reported (Table 1, see references therein).…”

Isolation and differentiation potential of an equine amnion-derived stromal cell line

“…The amnion is composed of an epithelial layer arising from embryonic epiblast cells prior to gastrulation and an outer layer of connective tissue contiguous with the fetal skin. It has been reported that rat and human mesenchymal stromal cells can be isolated from amnion (Ilancheran et al 2009). These cell populations display a fibroblast like appearance, adhere onto plastic culture vessels, form clonal colonies (Kim et al 2007) and can differentiate into mature cell lineages in vitro with ectodermal and endodermal characteristics (Marcus et al 2008;Parolini et al 2008), thus resulting a potential source for regenerative medicine applications.…”