Interaction between Stem Cells and the Microenvironment for Musculoskeletal Repair

Manipulation of the tissue microenvironment has become a promising method to enhance the regenerative abilities of stem cells/progenitors for musculoskeletal repair. The composition of the microenvironment is determined by the resident cells, extracellular matrix, cytokines, and chemokines as well as the biomechanical property and nutrient status. The microenvironment is altered by the homeostasis and degenerative stage of the native tissue. All the alterations of the surrounding host microenvironment will definitely change the biology of the implanted stem cells/progenitors. Thus, a thorough understanding of the stem cell-microenvironment communication would therefore accelerate the success of musculoskeletal repair. In this special issue with the theme “Interaction between stem cells and the microenvironment for musculoskeletal repair,” we are very pleased to present the 11 accepted papers (7 research articles and 4 review articles) in which how the microenvironment affects the stem cells/progenitors was well investigated