Regeneration and adult stem cells in the human female reproductive tract

Abstract

Masanori Ono, Tetsuo Maruyama, Yasunori YoshimuraDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku, Tokyo, JapanAbstract: The human uterus is unique in that it exhibits a tremendous regenerative capacity that enables cyclical regeneration and remodeling throughout a woman’s reproductive life. This plasticity of the reproductive system has recently been highlighted. Regeneration and remodeling in the female reproductive tract alludes to the existence of endometrial and myometrial stem cell systems, which has been supported by increasing  experimental evidence. Characterization of these stem cells, along with the study of the mechanisms controlling their regeneration, will improve the understanding of the physiology and pathophysiology of the female reproductive tract.Keywords: adult stem cells, endometrium, myometrium, regeneration