Cell Therapy in the CNS
Cell therapy is one strategy for treating a variety of CNS disorders,[1–3] and some successful therapeutic approaches have already been transferred to clinical use.[4–6] Stem and progenitor cells from various sources are used for transplantation in brain or spinal cord injury, including embryonic stem cells (ESCs),[7] neural progenitor cells,[8] olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs)[5] and Schwann cells.[9] Beyond this, the use of adult stem cells or adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) presents several advantages that highlight their promising therapeutic potential in human medicine.[3] MSCs are present in adult tissue, primarily in the bone marrow, but they can be found in fat, skin, liver, peripheral blood and umbilical cord; they are easy to isolate and expand, and their immunomodulatory properties offer potential for their use in cell therapy even in allogeneic settings.[10] MSCs are multipotent cells; in other words, they can differentiate not only into cells of mesenchymal origin, but also into nonmesenchymal cell phenotypes. Despite the fact that the transdifferentiation of MSCs into cells of the neuronal lineages has been shown in vitro, there is currently no proof that MSCs give rise to functional neurons in vivo.[3,11] Nevertheless, MSCs produce a variety of growth factors, chemokines and other bioactive factors supporting regeneration and, furthermore, they can be genetically modified and can serve as carriers for drug delivery.[11] After transplantation into the nervous tissue or intravenous administration, MSCs have been shown to respond to intrinsic signals and migrate toward the site of injury, reduce the lesion volume and elicit functional improvement.[12]
Nanomedicine. 2010;5(1):99-108. © 2010 Future Medicine Ltd.
Cite this: Nanotechnology for Treatment of Stroke and Spinal Cord Injury - Medscape - Jan 01, 2010.
