[Mesenchymal stem cells: from biology to clinical applications].

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are multipotent cells present in a variety of tissues during human development and in adults mainly in bone marrow. Mesenchymal stem cells may be isolated and expanded in vitro and they are capable to differentiate into a variety of tissues, including bone, cartilage, muscle and adipose tissue. In this review we briefly analyze the main biological features of MSC with particular attention to their interaction with hemopoietic system and to their differentiative properties. Finally, we focus on the main MSC applications both in the fields of genetic and tissue engineering.