Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are vital for cell-to-cell communication, transferring proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids in various physiological and pathological processes. They play crucial roles in immune modulation and tissue regeneration but are also involved in pathogenic conditions like inflammation and degenerative disorders. EVs have heterogeneous populations and cargo, with numerous subpopulations currently under investigations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEndogenous brain repair occurs following an ischemic stroke but is transient, thus unable to fully mount a neuroprotective response against the evolving secondary cell death. Finding a treatment strategy that may render robust and long-lasting therapeutic effects stands as a clinically relevant therapy for stroke. Extracellular vesicles appear to be upregulated after stroke, which may represent a candidate target for neuroprotection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStroke is a leading cause of death in the US and around the world but with limited treatment options. Survivors often present with long-term cognitive and neurological deficits. Stem cell-based therapy has emerged as a potential treatment for stroke.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTraumatic brain injury (TBI) results from direct penetrating and indirect non-penetrating forces that alters brain functions, affecting millions of individuals annually. Primary injury following TBI is exacerbated by secondary brain injury; foremost is the deleterious inflammatory response. One therapeutic intervention being increasingly explored for TBI is hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), which is already approved clinically for treating open wounds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAccumulating evidence suggests the critical role of the gut-brain axis (GBA) in Parkinson's disease (PD) pathology and treatment. Recently, stem cell transplantation in transgenic PD mice further implicated the GBA's contribution to the therapeutic effects of transplanted stem cells. In particular, intravenous transplantation of human umbilical-cord-blood-derived stem/progenitor cells and plasma reduced motor deficits, improved nigral dopaminergic neuronal survival, and dampened α-synuclein and inflammatory-relevant microbiota and cytokines in both the gut and brain of mouse and rat PD models.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParkinson's disease (PD) remains a significant unmet clinical need. Gut dysbiosis stands as a PD pathologic source and therapeutic target. Here, we assessed the role of the gut-brain axis in PD pathology and treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Strokes represent as one of the leading causes of death and disability in the USA, however, there is no optimal treatment to reduce the occurrence or improve prognosis. Preconditioning of tissues triggers ischemic tolerance, a physiological state that may involve a metabolic switch (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTransfer of healthy mitochondria from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to ischemic neurons represents a potent stroke therapeutic. MSCs were grown under ambient conditions (nMSCs) or a metabolic switching paradigm by alternating galactose and glucose in medium (sMSCs) and then assayed for oxygen consumption rates using the Seahorse technology. Subsequently, primary neurons were subjected to oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) and then co-cultured with either nMSCs or sMSCs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIschemic stroke remains a significant unmet need causing massive mortality and morbidity due to few treatment options with limited therapeutic window. The progestin Nestorone® (segesterone acetate) displays high affinity for the progesterone receptor in exerting its potent birth control and hormone replacement therapy. Accumulating evidence implicates a new utility of Nestorone in affording neuroprotection in a variety of central nervous system diseases, including stroke.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMetabolic syndrome can cause complications, such as stroke and cardiovascular disease. We aimed to propose a nomogram that visualizes and predicts the probability of metabolic syndrome occurrence after identifying risk factors related to metabolic syndrome for prevention and recognition. We created a nomogram related to metabolic syndrome in this paper for the first time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman lifestyle and dietary behaviors contribute to disease onset and progression. Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs), considered multifactorial disorders, have been associated with changes in the gut microbiome. NDDs display pathologies that alter brain functions with a tendency to worsen over time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExtended therapeutic application remains a significant issue in the use of stem cell therapies to treat ischemic stroke. Along these lines, neurological recovery in a rodent model of ischemic stroke was evaluated following implantation of human mesenchymal stem cell aggregates (hMSC-agg), labeled with micron-sized particles of iron oxide, directly into the lateral ventricle contralateral to the ischemic lesion hemisphere. Longitudinally, disease progression and response to hMSC-agg therapy were assessed by H and Na magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 21.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStroke remains a significant unmet need in the clinic with few therapeutic options. We, and others, have implicated the role of inflammatory microbiota in stroke secondary cell death. Elucidating this inflammation microbiome as a biomarker may improve stroke diagnosis and treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis review captures recent advances in biological and translational research on stem cells. In particular, we discuss new discoveries and concepts regarding stem cell treatment of aging-related disorders. A myriad of stem cell sources exists, from hematopoietic to mesenchymal and neural cell lineages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis review discusses the potential of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) Class II constructs as stroke therapeutics. We focus on the delivery of MHC Class II construct, DRmQ, as a safe and effective treatment for ischemic stroke. DRmQ was observed to attenuate behavioral deficits and decrease microglia activation and proinflammatory cytokines, illustrating its ability to mitigate the secondary cell death following stroke.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) stands as a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the rapid progression of motor neuron loss in the brain and spinal cord. Unfortunately, treatment options for ALS are limited, and therefore, novel therapies that prevent further motor neuron degeneration are of dire need. In ALS, the infiltration of pathological elements from the blood to the central nervous system (CNS) compartment that spur motor neuron damage may be prevented via restoration of the impaired blood-CNS-barrier.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEndovascular mechanical thrombectomy effectively removes occlusive thrombi from the arterial lumen; however, there is little literature supporting the relevance of vascular geometry on surgical outcomes. Critical vessel characteristics including the degree of angulation and tortuosity influence the ability to advance stent retriever devices toward the site of occlusion. Therefore, it is crucial to evaluate the impact of carotid artery catheter pathway accessibility on the thrombectomy outcomes in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStem cell-based therapy stands as a robust experimental treatment for ischemic stroke. Stem cells derived from fetal, embryonic, and adult tissues serve as potential sources for transplantable cells in the setting of ischemic stroke. However, the search continues for finding an optimal cell line for clinical use.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) exerts neuroprotective effects in animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD). Conventional stimulation techniques entail limited stimulation time and restricted movement of animals, warranting the need for optimizing the SCS regimen to address the progressive nature of the disease and to improve its clinical translation to PD patients.
Objective: Recognizing the limitations of conventional stimulation, we now investigated the effects of continuous SCS in freely moving parkinsonian rats.
Human mesenchymal stem cells have been explored for their application in cell-based therapies targeting stroke. Identifying cell lines that stand as safe, accessible, and effective for transplantation, while optimizing dosage, timing, and method of delivery remain critical translational steps towards clinical trials. Preclinical studies using bone marrow-derived NCS-01 cells show the cells' ability to confer functional recovery in ischemic stroke.
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