Amniotic stem cells and their exosomes

Abstract Over the past decades, stem cells derived from amnion (amniotic epithelial cells and amniotic mesenchymal stem cells) have gained growing attention in regenerative medicine and emerged as a novel and alternative source for cell therapy. Several proof-of-principle experiments have indicated that amniotic stem cells (ASCs) could improve renal recovery in both acute and chronic insults. Existing evidence favors the paracrine actions rather than multidifferentiating capacity of ASCs during renal restoration. In particular, ASCs have shown to alleviate kidney injury via secreting soluble factors and exosomes. This chapter will provide an in-depth description of the current understanding about the characteristics of ASCs and the underlying mechanisms of their therapeutic potentials in kidney regeneration. Finally, we will focus on the clinical trials of ASCs and put forward promising prospects for the implementation of ASC cell therapy to treat kidney diseases.