Nomenclature clarification: synovial fibroblasts and synovial mesenchymal stem cells

Abstract Synovial-derived cells, found in the synovial membrane of human joints, were obtained by digestion of the synovial membrane and were subsequently expanded in vitro. The identity of synovial-derived cells has long been a topic of debate. The terms “type B synoviocytes,” “fibroblast-like syno...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Fangqi Li, Yiyong Tang, Bin Song, Menglei Yu, Qingyue Li, Congda Zhang, Jingyi Hou, Rui Yang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2019-08-01
Series:Stem Cell Research & Therapy
Subjects:
Online Access:http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13287-019-1359-x
Description
Summary:Abstract Synovial-derived cells, found in the synovial membrane of human joints, were obtained by digestion of the synovial membrane and were subsequently expanded in vitro. The identity of synovial-derived cells has long been a topic of debate. The terms “type B synoviocytes,” “fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS),” “synovium-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs),” and “synovial fibroblasts (SF)” appeared in different articles related to human synovial-derived cells in various disease models, yet they seemed to be describing the same cell type. However, to date, there is no clear standard to distinguish these terms; thus, the hypothesis that they represent the same cell type is currently inconclusive. Therefore, this review aims to clarify the similarities and differences between these terms and to diffuse the chaotic nomenclature of synovial-derived cells.
ISSN:1757-6512