Endothelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Regenerative Medicine - PubMed (original) (raw)

Review

Endothelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Regenerative Medicine

Damian Medici. Stem Cells Int. 2016.

Abstract

Endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) is a fundamental cellular mechanism that regulates embryonic development and diseases such as cancer and fibrosis. Recent developments in biomedical research have shown remarkable potential to harness the EndMT process for tissue engineering and regeneration. As an alternative to traditional or artificial stem cell therapies, EndMT may represent a safe method for engineering new tissues to treat degenerative diseases by mimicking a process that occurs in nature. This review discusses the signaling mechanisms and therapeutic inhibitors of EndMT, as well as the role of EndMT in development, disease, acquiring stem cell properties and generating connective tissues, and its potential as a novel mechanism for tissue regeneration.

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Figures

Figure 1

Figure 1

The multipotency of EndMT. Vascular endothelial cells are stimulated to undergo EndMT by various growth factors and inflammatory cytokines such as TGF-_β_s, BMPs, and Wnt. Proteins such as VEGF-A and BMP7, as well as drugs such as rapamycin, losartan, linagliptin, and kallistatin, can inhibit this cellular transformation. Endothelial-derived mesenchymal cells take on the properties of multipotent stem cells and can differentiate into fibroblasts, pericytes, smooth muscle, skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, bone, cartilage, and fat cells.

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