Adult stem cells in the human endometrium

The human endometrium regenerates with each menstrual cycle, following parturition, almost complete curettage and in postmenopausal women taking estrogen replacement therapy. The concept that endometrial stem/progenitor cells are responsible for the remarkable regenerative capacity of endometrium was proposed many years ago, but attempts to isolate and characterize them has only been undertaken recently as experimental approaches to identify adult stem cells in other tissues have been developed. This latter endeavor has been fueled by enormous interest in the clinical potential of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) as the new therapeutic agent for regenerating tissues damaged by injury and the aging process. The controversy surrounding the use of embryos to generate hESCs has encouraged exploration of other sources of stem cells from adult tissues.