The roles of neural stem cells in myelin regeneration and repair therapy after spinal cord injury.

Stem Cell Res Ther

Key Laboratory of Spine and Spinal Cord Injury Repair and Regeneration of Ministry of Education, Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200065, China.

Published: July 2024

AI Article Synopsis

  • Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to various physical disabilities, highlighting the need for new treatment options as current methods often result in lifelong impairments.
  • Neural stem cells (NSCs) are promising because they can differentiate into various cell types necessary for repairing the spinal cord and promoting myelin regeneration, which is crucial for restoring nerve function.
  • This review discusses the mechanisms of SCI, the role of NSCs in repair strategies, and the progress made in preclinical and clinical studies to enhance recovery outcomes for SCI patients.

Article Abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a complex tissue injury that results in a wide range of physical deficits, including permanent or progressive disabilities of sensory, motor and autonomic functions. To date, limitations in current clinical treatment options can leave SCI patients with lifelong disabilities. There is an urgent need to develop new therapies for reconstructing the damaged spinal cord neuron-glia network and restoring connectivity with the supraspinal pathways. Neural stem cells (NSCs) possess the ability to self-renew and differentiate into neurons and neuroglia, including oligodendrocytes, which are cells responsible for the formation and maintenance of the myelin sheath and the regeneration of demyelinated axons. For these properties, NSCs are considered to be a promising cell source for rebuilding damaged neural circuits and promoting myelin regeneration. Over the past decade, transplantation of NSCs has been extensively tested in a variety of preclinical models of SCI. This review aims to highlight the pathophysiology of SCI and promote the understanding of the role of NSCs in SCI repair therapy and the current advances in pathological mechanism, pre-clinical studies, as well as clinical trials of SCI via NSC transplantation therapeutic strategy. Understanding and mastering these frontier updates will pave the way for establishing novel therapeutic strategies to improve the quality of recovery from SCI.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11232222PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13287-024-03825-xDOI Listing

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