Stem cells VS immune cells： the double guarantee of vitality
Original oriental stem cell science popularization group has a future.
Writing │ apricot kernel
Editor │ Li Jialu
Revise │ Tang Hongming
Please indicate at the beginning:
This article is reproduced from WeChat official account: There is a future in doing things.
The full text is about 1600 words, and it is expected to read for 6 minutes.
VS
In the human body, there are two important cell groups: stem cells and immune cells, which each play an indispensable role and jointly safeguard our lives and health.
Stem cells: the "supplement" of the body
Stem cells are special cells with multi-directional differentiation and self-renewal ability. They are like "supplements" of the body, and can differentiate into other types of cells as needed, which makes them have great potential in medical research.
● Hematopoietic stem cells can differentiate into blood cells such as red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, which is of great significance for the treatment of blood system diseases, such as leukemia and anemia.
Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells can differentiate into a variety of tissue cells, have immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects, and can be used to treat various tissue injuries and diseases, such as myocardial infarction, arthritis and cirrhosis.
● Neural stem cells can differentiate into neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, which have potential application value in the treatment of nervous system diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and brain injury.
……
Immune cells: the body’s "guard"
Immune cells refer to cells directly involved in or related to immune response. They are like the "guards" of the body, which can identify and remove foreign pathogens. From the most common bacteria, viruses and fungi in daily life to abnormal cell cancer cells in the body, powerful immune cells will sound the alarm at the first time and start fighting to maintain the stability of the internal environment and protect human health.
What are the main cells?
T lymphocytes can directly destroy infected cells.
● B lymphocytes can quickly eliminate re-invading pathogens.
● NK cells can directly attack and destroy infected cells and abnormal cells.
Macrophages can swallow and digest pathogens and other foreign bodies.
……
What are the differences between stem cells and immune cells?
1. Different production times
Stem cells usually begin to be produced in the fetus.
Immune cells are usually produced after birth.
2. Different shapes
The shapes of stem cells are usually diverse, such as hematopoietic stem cells are round, oval and long, and neural stem cells are radial.
The shape of immune cells is more uniform, round or oval.
3. Different distribution
Stem cells are mainly distributed in bone marrow, fat, teeth, umbilical cord and placenta.
Immune cells are mainly distributed in tonsils, lymph nodes, thymus, bone marrow and other parts of the human body.
4. Different quantities
Generally speaking, the number of stem cells in the body is relatively small. A 30-year-old healthy person has about 1 billion stem cells in his body. Among them, umbilical cord and placenta have the most abundant stem cells.
The number of immune cells is very large, and the number of immune cells in healthy adults is between 40 trillion and 60 trillion. Among them, the number of white blood cells accounts for more than 95%.
5. Different sources of acquisition
Stem cells can be obtained from many sources, including blood, bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, fat, skin, dental pulp and nerves.
Immune cells are mainly obtained from blood.
6. Different functions
Stem cells have the ability of multi-directional differentiation and can differentiate into many cell types.
The main function of immune cells is to identify and eliminate pathogens in the body.
If the human body is regarded as a huge factory, then stem cells are like engineers. They continue to produce new cells and provide necessary nutrition and support for all parts of the body through continuous differentiation, so that our body can continue to operate.
Immune cells, on the other hand, are like cleaners of machines, always alert to and remove any potential threats, including foreign pathogens, harmful substances in the body and abnormal cells in the body. When the body is damaged or aged, they will also appear immediately and start the repair and cleaning work, thus maintaining the balance and stability of the body.
In a word, it is
Stem cells do addition and immune cells do subtraction!
7. Different clinical applications.
More than 20 stem cell products, such as umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cells, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and adipose-derived stem cells, have been approved for marketing in the world to treat graft-versus-host disease, degenerative arthritis, Crohn’s disease and refractory anal fistula. In China, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has been widely used to treat hematological diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, while other types of stem cells are still in the clinical research stage.
Immune cell products such as T lymphocytes, DC cells and CAR-T cells have been widely used in the world, especially in cancer treatment, and immune cell therapy has become one of the emerging treatment methods. There are only two CAR-T cell products approved for marketing in China, which are mainly used to treat hematological tumors and solid tumors. But because of its high price, it has not been widely used at present.
Stem cells and immune cells are significantly different in function and characteristics, but they are both important guarantees for our vitality.
Through "cross-border cooperation", stem cells and immune cells can double the role of "regeneration+cleaning". In 2018, the paper "Two to Tango: Dialogue between Immunity and Stem Cells in Health and Disease" was published in Cell magazine, which showed that the combined therapy of stem cells and immune cells can maintain the homeostasis in the human body and has important application value in anti-aging. In addition, the "strong combination" of the two can also play an important role in brain injury, autoimmune diseases and so on.
With the continuous progress of science and technology, our research and application of stem cells and immune cells are also deepening. In the future, we are expected to make better use of stem cells and immune cells, providing unlimited possibilities for treating diseases and improving the quality of life.
ID:sckp2024011602800
Oriental stem cell science popularization group, led by Academician Liu Zhongmin of Oriental Hospital affiliated to Tongji University. Pay attention to WeChat official account, the WeChat of "Doing is the Future", and we will introduce more scientific and interesting stem cell science knowledge from time to time to enjoy the charm of stem cells with you!
The special issue of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine of Medical Reference Newspaper, which is managed by National Health Commission and undertaken by Dongfang Hospital affiliated to Tongji University, provides a platform for medical workers to display their scientific achievements. One or two pages are preset for each issue as a popular science edition, which is also a popular science for doctors and readers and a medical science for the general public. The content is the same as the theme of the special issue, that is, "Stem Cell and/or Regenerative Medicine".
Read the original text