The Deleterious Effects of Cigarette Smoking and Nicotine Usage and Mesenchymal Stem Cell Function and Implications for Cell-Based Therapies

Stem cell sources for cell-based therapeutics are often screened for infectious agents and genetic diseases prior to implantation; however, there are other risk factors that are often overlooked, which may ultimately lead to less efficacious clinical outcomes. One such risk factor is exposure of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to cigarette smoke or nicotine.