Stem cells
*The article was translated into English using automatic translation. The editors are working on its improvement.
The term “stem cells” (SC) in biology refers to cells that have two defining properties: the ability for unlimited self-maintenance (self-renewal) and the ability to generate one or more differentiated cell types (stem cells themselves are, as a rule, undifferentiated). Importantly, they are able to differentiate into approximately 200 cell types, for example, osteoblasts (bone cells), chondrocytes (cartilage cells), adipocytes (fat cells), and fibroblasts (dermis).
That is, stem cells, as a result of division, are capable of producing both themselves and differentiated descendants throughout the life of the organism. Thanks to these properties, stem cells serve as a source of tissue restoration in the processes of physiological and reparative regeneration, that is, they are like the trunk of a tree from which branches and leaves extend.