Role of Stem Cells in Cerebral Infarction

Cerebral ischemia which may lead to brain tissue damage is one of the leading causes of mortality and physical disability in the world. Transplantation of stem cells has been proposed to be one of the effective therapies for a number of neurological disorders. The ability of stem cells to differentiate into various cells has been explored so that these cells can be beneficial for the use in regenerative therapy. Mesenchymal stem cells which have the ability to promote neurogenesis are currently the promising donor cells for the cure of cerebral infarction. These cells have been reported to show functional proliferation of neurons as well as inhibiting neuronal apoptosis. Exogenous stem cells from various sources can generate neural cells and strengthen the synaptic connection after cerebral infarction. Among all the stem cells, bone marrow derived mesenchymal cell transplantation has been shown to be effective in the treatment of cerebral ischemia. Besides transplantation of stem cells, endogenous enhancement of neural stem cells can also promote neurogenesis. Since neural stem cells are located in the subventricular zones and in the hippocampus of the brain, proper stimulation of these area could enhance neurogenesis in vivo. Both P13k pathway and electrical stimulation are synergistically required to overcome the acute and chronic phases of cerebral infarction. Therefore, sufficient clinical trials should be done to obtain evidence so that stem cell therapy can be used for regenerative therapy in future as these cells have shown remarkable potential in the regeneration of functional neurons.