Indra Bachtiar

Hypoxia in Mesenchymal Stem Cell

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are non-hematopoietic multipotent stem cells with selfrenewal properties and ability to differentiate into a variety of mesenchymal tissues. This chapter overviews effects of hypoxia on MSCs, makes it promising therapy to various diseases. Cultivation of MSCs under hypoxic condition results in variety of outcome that is important to be noted in clinical use. In most studies, hypoxic condition appears to increase proliferation, differentiation, and immune regulatory performance of MSCs without affecting its characteristic. Those benefits are therefore utilized in clinical application. However, there are also studies that report on negative effects of hypoxia in MSCs such as chromosomal instability. Molecular mechanism of MSCs in hypoxic condition is provided for better understanding, which is crucial for further development with better outcome.