胚胎干细胞向角膜上皮细胞诱导分化的研究进展

胚胎干细胞（ESCs）是一种具有多向分化潜能的细胞,在一定条件诱导下能分化为骨细胞、软骨细胞、肌细胞、血管内皮细胞和神经细胞,在眼表的修复和重建方面具有广阔的应用前景.目前,大量研究已证实,ESCs可以被定向诱导分化为角膜上皮样细胞,并且对眼表损伤的修复也有重要作用.ESCs作为组织工程角膜的种子细胞仍存在一些问题需要解决,如定向分化机制不明确、细胞大量扩增可能存在致瘤问题等.就ESCs向角膜上皮细胞分化的研究进展进行综述.

Recent advances in the induction of the differentiation of embryonic stem cells into corneal epithelial cells

Embryonic stem cells（ESCs）are pluripotential cells,and they can be induced to differentiate into bone cells,cartilage cells,muscle cells,blood vessels and neurogenesis cells.In addition,ESCs are able to participate in the regeneration of ocular surface.At present,many research groups,domestic and abroad,have reported that ESCs can not only differentiate into corneal epithelium-like cells,but also play an important role in the repair of corneal epithelium.However,other unsolved problems in ESCs-related corneal tissue engineering are being concerned,such as the molecular biologic mechanism underlying the directional differentiation from ESCs to corneal cells,and the potential tumorigenicity with grafting of transformed or undifferentiated ESCs.The purpose of this review was to provide a summary of research progress in the differentiation of ESCs into corneal epithelial cells.