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The mesenchymal stem cells are undifferentiated adult cells with high plasticity, capable of causing tissue mesodermais and not mesodermais, producing any cell type needed in the repair process. Due to such characteristics these cells have been gaining much attention from research directed both to humans and to animals, seeking standards protocols to separation, cultivation and differentiation of the same so that they can be used in various cell therapies. The main current focus of interest in the cell therapy is regenerative medicine, which seeks to replace damaged cells or tissue, senescent or lost to restore their function, and therapies with stem cells, those that arouse more interest in society. Currently, research in veterinary medicine have used mice, rats, cats, dogs, horses, sheep and goats, isolating this cell type, mainly bone marrow, adipose tissue, umbilical cord and amniotic fluid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on stem cells dating from the 1960s through pioneering studies with bone marrow transplantation in mice. With the demonstration of its ability to self-renewal and differentiation, the scientific community has woken up to the great potential of these cells for research in healthcare. New paradigms are established at each advance. The fact is that the stem cells have become the great hope for the treatment of diseases and development of regenerative therapies, both in human to veterinary area as being a valuable finding of the scientific community. In this context, the purpose of this review is to address concisely the concepts, progress and prospects of research on stem cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]