Mesenchymal: Cell Types Composing the Tissue

Mesenchyme is a type of tissue containing cells that lack polarity, which causes the cells to be loosely connected within a large extracellular matrix. Mesenchyme originates from mesoderm. The mesoderm is located in the middle of the three primary germ layers and differentiates into all of the body’s skeletal elements.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are derived from mesenchyme. MSCs must exist to maintain a living organism, just as hematopoietic stem cells must exist to support both red and white blood cell formation. MSCs are of interest because they have many therapeutic advantages for tissue repair.

Anatomy of Mesenchymal Stem Cells

MSCs have long, thin cell bodies with a large nucleus containing a prominent nucleolus. The term mesenchyme is derived from the Greek word meso, meaning “middle.” This refers ...

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