The effects of chosen plant extracts and compounds on mesenchymal stem cells-a bridge between molecular nutrition and regenerative medicine-concise review

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) stand as a promising tool in regenerative medicine because of their high therapeutic potential in treatment of degenerative, metabolic and other types of diseases. The cellular therapies involving MSCs include their isolation mainly from the bone marrow, adipose tissue or umbilical cord and in vitro expansion for further autologous or allogeneic transplantation. Recent studies revealed, that bioactive compounds, naturally occurring in seaweeds, herbs, fruits and vegetables, possess the ability to modulate self-renewal and differentiation potential of adult stem cells, targeting a broad range of intracellular signal transduction pathways. Number of ongoing trials aim to find a herbal extract that may become less toxic and affordable natural therapeutic. Mesenchymal stem cells are treated with crude extracts or individual compounds to investigate its effects and mechanism on stem cells proliferation and differentiation. Deeply investigated, herbal extract which increases tissue regeneration and promotes stem cell growth may be successfully applied in the field of biomaterials. Promoting the endogenous stem cell multipotency and their differentiation potential may additionally support the regenerative processes after MSCs transplantation. The review focuses on the beneficial effects of chosen plant derived substances on MSCs proliferative activity and their osteogenic differentiation potential. Copyright (C) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.