Mesenchymal Stem Cells vs Hematopoietic Stem Cell: Key Differences Explained

Mesenchymal vs Hematopoietic Stem Cells—understand their roles, benefits, and treatments. Explore stem cell options globally with GetWellGo today.

Mesenchymal Stem Cells vs Hematopoietic Stem Cell: Key Differences Explained

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    General

  • Published By

    GetWellGo Team

  • Updated on

    07-Jul-2025

Difference between mesenchymal and hematopoietic stem cells

Mesenchymal stem cells vs hematopoietic stem cells:

The primary distinction between mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is their source, differentiation potential, and the cell types they give rise to. Here's a comprehensive comparison:

Origin

Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs):

  • Located in bone marrow, adipose tissue, umbilical cord, placenta, dental pulp, etc.
  • Present predominantly in the stromal (connective tissue) compartment.

Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs):

  • Located primarily in bone marrow, peripheral blood, and umbilical cord blood.
  • Present in the hematopoietic (blood-forming) compartment.

Lineage/Differentiation Potential

MSCs differentiate into mesodermal lineages:

  • Osteoblasts (bone cells)
  • Chondrocytes (cartilage cells)
  • Adipocytes (fat cells)
  • Myocytes (muscle cells, to some degree)
  • Tend to support tissue regeneration and repair

HSCs differentiate into all kinds of blood cells:

  • Red blood cells (erythrocytes)
  • White blood cells (leukocytes) – lymphocytes, neutrophils, monocytes, etc.
  • Platelets (thrombocytes)
  • Critical for blood formation (hematopoiesis)

Clinical Use and Applications

MSCs are employed in:

  • Regenerative medicine (e.g., repair of bone and cartilage)
  • Immunomodulation (e.g., autoimmune disorders, graft-versus-host disease)
  • Tissue engineering

HSCs are employed in:

  • Bone marrow transplants for leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood diseases
  • Reconstituting immune systems following chemotherapy

Surface Markers (for identification on laboratory tests)

MSCs:

  • Positive for: CD73, CD90, CD105
  • Negative for: CD34, CD45 (hematopoietic markers)

HSCs:

  • Positive for: CD34, CD45
  • Negative for: CD73, CD90

Mesenchymal stem cells vs Hematopoietic stem cells function

Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) – Role

  • Tissue Regeneration: MSCs repair and regenerate connective tissue like bone, cartilage, muscle, tendon, and fat.
  • Immunomodulation: MSCs have the ability to suppress or modulate immune responses, which is useful in autoimmune disorders and transplant.
  • Secretion of Growth Factors: MSCs secrete cytokines and growth factors to heal, induce angiogenesis (formation of blood vessels), and inhibit inflammation.
  • Support for HSCs: MSCs, in the bone marrow, are a component of the support and regulating niche for HSCs.
  • Wound Healing: MSCs travel to areas of injury and aid in repair mechanisms.

Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs) – Function

  • Production of Blood Cells: HSCs constantly produce blood cell types, such as red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
  • Immune System Maintenance: HSCs generate immune cells such as lymphocytes (B-cells, T-cells), which are necessary for immunity.
  • Homeostasis of Blood: HSCs regulate blood composition and volume throughout life.
  • Self-Renewal and Differentiation: HSCs have long-term self-renewal ability and differentiate into various blood lineages.
  • Recovery After Chemotherapy: HSCs play a pivotal role in bone marrow transplants to re-establish hematopoiesis in cancer patients.

Mesenchymal stem cells vs Hematopoietic stem cells therapy

Mesenchymal Stem Cell (MSC) Therapy

  • The main aim of Mesenchymal Stem Cell (MSC) therapy is tissue repair and immunomodulation. 
  • MSCs are capable of differentiating into a range of connective tissue cells like bone, cartilage, and fat, and they also produce anti-inflammatory and healing-enhancing factors. 
  • This makes MSC therapy especially effective in repairing injured tissues and regulating abnormal immune responses. 
  • MSC therapy is being investigated for a wide range of diseases involving tissue injury or immune system dysregulation. 
  • The most common targets are autoimmune conditions (such as Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis), orthopedic trauma (such as osteoarthritis), inflammatory conditions, and conditions with organ or tissue damage, such as myocardial infarction or spinal cord injury. 
  • Both MSCs and HSCs may be harvested from several sources, but with differences. 
  • MSCs are most frequently obtained from bone marrow, fat, and umbilical cord tissue. 
  • These tissues do harbor stromal cells that can differentiate into bone marrow, cartilage, or fat. 
  • The mode of delivery for MSC therapy is typically local injection at the injury site (such as into a joint or injured tissue) or intravenous (IV) infusion for systemic immune modulation or generalized repair of tissue. 
  • MSC therapy remains mostly in the experimental or clinical trial stage. 
  • While it has demonstrated potential across a variety of disorders, regulatory agencies such as the FDA have yet to make most MSC therapies available for broad clinical use beyond research institutions.

Hematopoietic Stem Cell (HSC) Therapy

  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell (HSC) therapy is designed to restore the blood and immune system. 
  • HSCs are the source of ongoing production of every cell of the blood, including red cells, white cells, and platelets. 
  • HSC therapy is needed by patients who have lost bone marrow function through disease or chemotherapy. 
  • HSC therapy is a common form of treatment for blood cancers (like leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma), genetic immunodeficiency (like severe combined immunodeficiency or SCID), and bone marrow failure syndromes (like aplastic anemia or thalassemia). 
  • It is mainly employed when the own hematopoietic system of the body is damaged or defective. 
  • HSCs are mainly derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood (following stimulation with growth factors), and umbilical cord blood. 
  • These sources give stem cells that are specifically able to create new immune and blood cells following transplantation. 
  • HSC therapy is typically given through intravenous infusion, particularly following chemotherapy or radiation to ablate the patient's current (diseased or damaged) bone marrow. 
  • The transplanted HSCs migrate into the bone marrow and start regenerating the immune and blood system. 
  • HSC therapy is well established and extensively approved for different conditions. 
  • It has been used for decades in the clinical setting and is an accepted standard-of-care therapy for numerous hematologic and immunologic disorders with well-established protocols and approval from regulatory agencies around the globe.

Mesenchymal stem cells vs Hematopoietic stem cells differentiation

Here is a comprehensive comparison of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) vs. hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) based on their potential for differentiation:

Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) – Differentiation

MSCs are multipotent stem cells that mostly differentiate into mesodermal lineage cells, which form structural and connective tissues. Their major differentiation lineages are:

  • Osteoblasts → bone cells
  • Chondrocytes → cartilage cells
  • Adipocytes → fat cells
  • Myocytes (limited) → muscle cells
  • Fibroblasts and Tenocytes → tendon cells and connective tissue cells (in certain settings)

MSCs do not give rise to blood or immune cells. They contribute to regenerative medicine by facilitating tissue repair and the release of supportive growth factors.

Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs) – Differentiation

HSCs are also multipotent but are uniquely committed to hematopoiesis, the production of all the different kinds of blood and immune cells. HSCs have the ability to differentiate into two broad lineages:

Myeloid Lineage → produces:

  • Erythrocytes (red blood cells)
  • Platelets (through megakaryocytes)
  • Granulocytes (neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils)
  • Monocytes → macrophages and dendritic cells

Lymphoid Lineage → produces:

  • B lymphocytes
  • T lymphocytes
  • Natural killer (NK) cells

HSCs provide lifelong renewal of the blood and immune systems, and play a crucial role in diseases such as leukemia, anemia, and immunodeficiencies.

Mesenchymal vs Hematopoietic stem cells in regenerative medicine

Here is a comprehensive breakdown of the function of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) versus hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in regenerative medicine, including their mechanism, applications, and limitations:

Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) in Regenerative Medicine

Role and Mechanism:

  • MSCs are heavily researched in regenerative medicine due to their ability to differentiate into connective tissue cells such as bone, cartilage, and fat.

They release bioactive molecules (growth factors, cytokines) that:

  • Support tissue repair
  • Inhibit inflammation
  • Induce angiogenesis (blood vessel formation)
  • Modulate the immune system

Applications:

  • Orthopedic trauma (bone defects, cartilage repair, osteoarthritis)
  • Cardiovascular disease (post-myocardial infarction repair)
  • Neurological disorders (spinal cord injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis – primarily experimental)
  • Autoimmune disorders (Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis)
  • Tissue engineering and wound healing

Advantages:

  • Easy to isolate and culture in vitro
  • Immunoprivileged (low immune rejection risk)
  • Facilitative in non-hematopoietic tissue regeneration

Limitations:

  • Primarily in experimental/clinical trial phases
  • Limited survival and engraftment upon transplantation
  • Risk of unwanted differentiation or fibrosis in certain contexts

Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs) in Regenerative Medicine

Role and Mechanism:

  • HSCs are employed primarily to reconstitute the blood and immune systems.
  • Following infusion, they home to the bone marrow and give rise to all blood cell types.
  • They are essential for hematopoietic reconstitution following destruction by chemotherapy, radiation, or disease.

Applications:

Bone marrow transplantation for:

  • Leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma
  • Aplastic anemia
  • Sickle cell disease and thalassemia
  • Severe immunodeficiencies (e.g., SCID)
  • Both used in autologous (self) and allogeneic (donor) transplantation

Advantages

  • FDA licensed and commonly used in clinical practice
  • Long-term engraftment and hematologic recovery
  • Lifesaving for most blood-related diseases

Limitations:

  • Needs donor matching to avoid graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)
  • Cannot be used to regenerate non-blood tissues
  • Risk of infection and relapse in certain patients after transplant

Mesenchymal stem cells vs Hematopoietic stem cells in cancer therapy

A concise comparison of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in cancer treatment is provided below, pointing out their unique roles, uses, and limitations:

Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) in Cancer Therapy

  • Emerging Role: Supportive and Experimental

MSCs are not employed to kill cancer cells directly, but they are researched for:

  • Managament of side effects of cancer therapy
  • Delivery of anticancer drugs directly to tumors
  • Repair of tissue damage following chemotherapy/radiation

Investigational Applications:

  • Reduction of GVHD following HSC transplantation because of the immunosuppressive action of MSCs
  • Drug/gene delivery vehicles: MSCs have the ability to home to the tumor and can be engineered to deliver anti-tumor agents
  • Tissue regeneration: Assisting in repairing mucosa, skin, or other organs damaged by intensive therapies

Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs) in Cancer Treatment

  • Principal Function: Reconstitution of Bone Marrow and Immune System

HSC transplant, or bone marrow transplant, is a well-standardized cancer treatment for several blood cancers, including:

  • Leukemia
  • Lymphoma
  • Multiple Myeloma

Mechanism:

  • High-dose radiation or chemotherapy is initially administered to kill cancer cells and bone marrow.
  • Healthy HSCs are then implanted (from a donor or the patient) to re-establish the blood and immune system.

Types of HSC Transplantation:

  • Autologous (stem cells of the patient)
  • Allogeneic (from matched donor)
  • Umbilical cord blood (abundant source of HSCs)

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