As mentioned above, different stem cell sources and types determine
different therapeutic possibilities. Totipotent stem cells,
such as iPSCs and human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), obviously
show the greater potential, being able to generate all
cell types, while multipotent stem cells, such as mesenchymal
stem cells (MSCs), can generate many cell types, such as muscle
cells, hepatocytes, blood cells, etc. Finally, oligopotent stem
cells (such as myeloid or lymphoid precursors) can generate
only few cell types (e.g., monocytes, macrophages, etc.).
Consistent differences can also be found between stem cells
of the same type, but deriving from different sources. For example,
a comparative analysis between MSCs of different origin
revealed that those deriving from umbilical cord blood show a
limited isolation success rate and they are not able to differentiate
in adipose tissue, but they can be cultured for long periods
and they show a high proliferation capacity. MSCs from bone
marrow show high isolation success rate, good differentiation
capacity but very low proliferation ability. Finally, MSCs from
adipose tissue show the highest colony frequency and good differentiation
ability