ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the immunomodulatory properties of placental mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) derived from the amniotic membrane, umbilical cord, and chorionic villi. In accordance with the in vitro data, some in vivo studies clearly support that the immunomodulatory effects of human Wharton’s jelly MSCs/human umbilical cord MSCs during the course of cellular therapy can be attributed, at least in part, to the disturbance of Dendritic cells differentiation and maturation processes. The response of T cells to their cognate antigens is principally governed by two distinct molecular signals. Natural killer cells are important cytolytic effector cells that play a relevant role in innate immunity, participating in the first line of defense against viruses and pathogens, and also play a role in immune surveillance against tumors. Neutrophils are the professional phagocytosing cells present in both blood and tissues that have the capacity to recognize, engage, phagocytose, and kill their targets by multiple cytotoxic mechanisms.
