日本研究人员于2011年8月8日在美国《国家科学院院刊》（PNAS）网络版上发表论文说，他们在人耳中发现了可发育为软骨的干细胞。

横滨市立大学教授谷口英树率领的研究小组，在对小耳症患者切除的耳软骨进行分析时发现，覆盖耳软骨的膜中存在一种特殊细胞，这一细胞具有发育为软骨等组织的干细胞性质。

研究人员成功在试管中将这种软骨干细胞培育为成熟软骨细胞，然后将其移植到实验鼠背部皮肤上，最后形成了软骨。这种再生软骨在实验鼠身上维持了约10个月。

研究小组认为，利用这一成果，今后在治疗鼻骨骨折、面部骨折等面部变形时，有望从患者耳中采集软骨干细胞，进行软骨细胞培养并移植到患者的腹部皮下脂肪，等软骨细胞发育成一定程度大小的软骨后，移植到患部。

研究人员计划在获得日本厚生劳动省批准后，最早明年开始临床研究。

Reconstruction of human elastic cartilage by a CD44+ CD90+ stem cell in the ear perichondrium

Kobayashi, Shinji; Takebe, Takanori; Inui, Midori; Iwai, Sayaka; Kan, Hiroomi; Zheng, Yun-Wen; Maegawa, Jiro; Taniguchi, Hideki

Despite the great demands for treating craniofacial injuries or abnormalities, effective treatments are currently lacking.One promising approach involves human elastic cartilage reconstruction using autologous stem/progenitor populations. Nevertheless,definitive evidence of the presence of stem cells in human auricular cartilage remains to be established. Here, we demonstratethat human auricular perichondrium, which can be obtained via a minimally invasive approach, harbors a unique cell population,termed as cartilage stem/progenitor cells (CSPCs). The clonogenic progeny of a single CD44+ CD90+ CSPC displays a number of features characteristic of stem cells. Highly chondrogenic CSPCs were shown to reconstruct large(>2 cm) elastic cartilage after extended expansion and differentiation. CSPC-derived cartilage was encapsulated by a perichondriumlayer, which contains a CD44+ CD90+ self-renewing stem/progenitor population and was maintained without calcification or tumor formation even after 10 mo. Thisis a unique report demonstrating the presence of stem cells in auricular cartilage. Utilization of CSPCs will provide a promisingreconstructive material for treating craniofacial defects with successful long-term tissue restoration.

文章转自丁香园  宇宙cosmos