Pluripotent and Mesenchymal Stem Cells—Challenging Sources for Derivation of Myoblast

Stem cells are formed during embryonic development and then reside in tissues and organs of adult organism, being responsible for their self-renewal and regeneration. They are also widely used in the studies aiming to understand and also control differentiation of various cell types as well as to design the therapeutic strategies allowing to treat various degenerative diseases and to regenerate damaged tissues and organs. Among the stem cells which attract the most of attention are pluripotent stem cells able to differentiate into any given cell type. These cells could be either derived from preimplantation mammalian embryos or from somatic cells subjected to reprogramming. Multipotent mesenchymal stem cells, on the other hand, are isolated from tissues of adult organisms, such as bone marrow or adipose tissue. Their ability to differentiate is restricted, as compared to pluripotent stem cells. Both types of cells were tested as a source to derive skeletal muscle myoblasts or cardiomyocytes that could be potentially used in clinics. Current review focuses at the characteristics of pluripotent and mesenchymal stem cells and also presents selected studies aiming at their efficient derivation and application in cellular therapies.