Stem cells to reverse aging

As human life expectancy continues to increase and the birth rate continues to decline, the phenomenon of aging is becoming more prominent worldwide. Therefore, addressing the problems associated with global aging has become a current research focus. The main manifestations of human aging are structural degeneration and functional decline of aging tissues and organs, quality of life decline, decreased ability to resist diseases, and high incidence rates of a variety of senile degenerative diseases. Thus far, no ideal treatments have been found. Stem cell (SC) therapies have broad application prospects in the field of regenerative medicine due to the inherent biological characteristics of SCs, such as their plasticity, self-renewal, and multidirectional differentiation potential. Thus, SCs could delay or even reverse aging. This manuscript reviews the causes of human aging, the biological characteristics of SCs, and research progress on age reversal.