Artikel
Implantation of mesenchymal stem cells for structural regeneration of the nervous system: repair shop or pharmacy?
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Veröffentlicht: | 28. September 2015 |
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Gliederung
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A number of important advances have been made using transplanted cells to provide therapeutic and reparative effects e.g. in experimental models of spinal cord injury (SCI), stroke or peripheral nerve injury. These studies have focused on transplanting cells to confer neuroprotection, stimulate regeneration, increase structural repair, enhance neovascularization and replace lost cells. Direct implantation and intravenous infusion of stromal stem cells derived from adipose tissue (ASCs) has been demonstrated to produce beneficial in clinical studies regarding various diseases. Several groups have demonstrated improvement in regeneration after application of ASCs for regeneration, but mechanisms are not fully clear. Challenges to develop clinical approaches include selecting the appropriate cell type and delivery method for the appropriate disease. Moreover, the differentiation state of the stem cells in the injury site for optimal therapy also needs to be established. Even though, the differentiated state of the stem cells could aid regeneration, as specialized cells might possess molecular programs that direct the cells in their regenerative functions, it has been shown that likewise a differentiation of the stem cells accelerate post-transplant cell death. ASCs are a highly heterogenic cell population containing subpopulations of stem cells and committed progeni-tor cells and results vary from laboratory to laboratory as their properties also depend on patient’s age, body mass index and the harvesting site. Additionally, ASCs show high variability regarding the expression levels of characteristic cell surface markers and cell size and amount of differentiated cells after induction. Although there are numerous advantages, they have also been shown to secrete tumor-inducing factors. Thus, many safety issues has to be resolved for the use of ASCs in clinical settings including appropriate validation of cell types, characterization and optimization of procedures should enable ASCs to be efficient in cell therapy applications.