Urothelial Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Potential Application in Urinary Tract Tissue Regeneration

Urothelial cells (UCs), with functional tight junctions, act as a barrier of urinary tract, autologous UCs provide a cell source for tissue engineering in urology, but healthy UCs might be not available under the circumstances of malignancy, infection and stones in urinary tract system. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from various tissues, such as bone marrow, adipose tissue, amniotic fluid and voided urine are investigated on urothelial differentiation for urinary tract regeneration. In this brief review we discussed urothelial differentiation of MSCs, especially urine derived stem cells, which provide potential application in urinary tract epithelial reconstruction.