间充质干细胞(mesenchymal stemcells,MSCs)是一类存在于间质组织具有多向分化潜能的干细胞,被广泛应用于组织或细胞的修复或替代的研究中。利用MSCs分化成为视网膜细胞的研究可为一些视网膜不可逆性病变的治疗带来希望。此外,已有研究表明MSCs分泌的一些细胞因子,有助于提高病理状态下的神经细胞存活能力,利用MSCs的这一功能可为病变视网膜提供保护作用。因此,MSCs的神经保护功能也逐渐被应用于视网膜疾病研究中,成为关注的另一焦点。我们着重介绍了MSCs特征及其在视网膜疾病研究中的一些现状。

Mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs) are well-known for their multipotent and widely used in researches such as tissue repair and cell replacement therapy.The use of MSCs to differentiate into retinal cells could be a promising way for the treatment of some irreversible retinal diseases.Moreover,the recent advances in MSCs research have shown that MSCs could enhance the viability of neurons under a pathological circumstance by secreting some neurotropins.There are also researches on the neuroprotection of MSCs in retinal diseases.Therefore,this could be an alternative for the use of MSCs in retinal diseases.Here we make a brief review on the characteristics of MSCs and the utility of it in retinal disease.

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中国国家自然科学基金重点资助项目（No.60827002）；中国卫生部科研课题资助项目（No.WKJ20052013）；中国福建省重点科研课题基金资助项目（No.2008Y0040）