World J Stem Cells. Jun 26, 2026; 18(6): 117550 Published online Jun 26, 2026. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.117550
Mesenchymal stem cells with a pericyte-like phenotype for tissue engineering
Marina Yu Kochevalina, Vera V Voinova, Anton P Bonartsev
Marina Yu Kochevalina, Vera V Voinova, Anton P Bonartsev, Faculty of Biology, MV Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119234, Russia
Marina Yu Kochevalina, Kharkevich Institute for Problems of Information Transmission, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 127051, Moskva, Russia
Anton P Bonartsev, Academic Department of Innovational Materials and Technologies Chemistry, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Moscow 117997, Russia
Author contributions: Bonartsev AP conceptualized and designed the review framework; Kochevalina MY, Voinova VV, and Bonartsev AP conducted the literature search, analyzed the data, and reviewed and edited the manuscript; Kochevalina MY and Bonartsev AP wrote the original draft. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Anton P Bonartsev, PhD, Professor, Faculty of Biology, MV Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1, Bld 12, Moscow 119234, Russia. ant_bonar@mail.ru
Received: December 10, 2025 Revised: January 26, 2026 Accepted: March 4, 2026 Published online: June 26, 2026 Processing time: 197 Days and 20.2 Hours
Abstract
The existence of specific mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) subsets with pericyte-like properties in bone marrow and mobilized peripheral blood opens the possibility of harvesting these cells relatively easily. It is known that MSCs with pericyte-like properties play an important role in maintaining hematopoiesis in vivo, which is why products based on them can be used in hematology, transplantation medicine, and oncology. Therefore, the development of a technology for the precise isolation of this MSC subtype is a highly promising objective. However, for tissue engineering, e.g., the engineering of bone, cartilage, muscle, and nervous tissues, the use of this MSC subtype may be of comparable importance and potential. This significantly broadens the relevance of this problem.
Core Tip: The novel cell subtypes of mesenchymal stem cells with pericyte-like properties can be isolated from bone marrow and peripheral blood. It is known that mesenchymal stem cells with pericyte-like properties play an important role in maintaining hematopoiesis in vivo, which is why products based on them can be used in hematology, transplantation medicine, and oncology. However, for tissue engineering, the use of this cell subtype may be of comparable importance and potential. This significantly broadens the relevance of this problem.
