Crohn’s disease is a chronic illness that can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract but mostly affects the small and large intestines. People with Crohn’s disease often have inflammation of the large bowel (Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease or IBD). This colitis causes abdominal pain, cramping, diarrhea, along with bleeding and infections in the gastrointestinal tract. Crohn’s disease can interfere with a person’s ability to absorb nutrients, leading to malnutrition and weight loss. The medical community is debating whether it is possible to treat experimental colitis with fat-derived stem cells.
The standard medical treatment for Crohn’s disease involves one or more powerful drugs. When the disease flares up, patients usually must take steroids either orally or intravenously. They may also receive disease-modifying therapy such as immunomodulators and biologic medications. Many patients do enjoy remission once they receive these powerful drugs; however, side effects can be difficult to tolerate. Patients who cannot tolerate these powerful drugs or do not achieve disease remission may have to take steroids every day. Chronic steroid use has many severe and sometimes permanent side effects. If these treatments fail, patients may need to have surgery to remove a portion of their intestines that have been damaged by Crohn’s disease.
In an effort to find safe and effective treatments for Crohn’s disease, researchers have been testing stem cells in laboratory animals. In one study, scientists used a chemical to cause colon inflammation (colitis) in mice. This chemical causes many of the symptoms of humans with Crohn’s disease experience such as diarrhea, tissue damage, and weight loss. The researchers then treated some of the mice with mesenchymal stem cells gathered from human fat tissue (adipose) to see if stem cells could improve the symptoms.
Remarkably, human stem cell treatment reduced diarrhea, inflammation, and disease severity in mice with colitis. The chemical colitis caused mice to lose approximately 15 to 20% of their body weight. Mice that received stem cell treatment regained most of the weight they had lost. Researchers also noted that mice treated with adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells lived significantly longer than those that did not receive stem cell treatment.
Of course, this research was performed in laboratory animals, but it lays important groundwork for testing in humans. Indeed, since the publication of this report, researchers have been able to show that adipose-derived stem cells helped patients with Crohn’s disease. This exciting work will no doubt lead to future studies that may help pave the way to wider use of stem cells in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s disease.
Reference: Gonzalez, M. (2009). Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Alleviate Experimental Colitis by Inhibiting Inflammatory and Autoimmune Responses. Gastroenterology. Volume 136, Issue 3, March 2009, Pages 978-989
Alopecia, better known as hair loss, is a cosmetic problem. People do not need hair on their scalp to survive. Nonetheless, people with thinning hair or hair loss often endure considerable distress and suffering. Hair loss can cause low self-esteem, symptoms of depression, and a diminished quality of life. So while hair loss may be a simple cosmetic, strictly speaking, many people with alopecia struggle with an ongoing and serious problem.
Unfortunately, there are few effective treatments for hair loss. The two main medical treatments for hair loss are minoxidil and finasteride. Finasteride is generally only useful for male pattern baldness. Both men and women can use minoxidil, but it, too, is only partially effective. Various surgeries can be used to treat hair loss such as hair transplantation, scalp reduction, and scalp expansion, but patient satisfaction rates for these procedures are fairly low.
Stem cells that have been derived from fat tissue (i.e. adipose) secrete a number of beneficial chemicals called cytokines. These cytokines are important for wound healing and new blood vessel growth (i.e. angiogenesis). Cytokines released by adipose-derived stem cells are also able to stimulate hair follicles and induce the growth of hair. Based on these successes in the laboratory, dermatologists in Japan have used the substances secreted by adipose-derived stem cells to help people with hair loss.
Drs. Fukuoka, Narita, and Suga published a report detailing their successes in treating hair loss with proteins extracted from adipose-derived stem cells. A single hair loss treatment involves making a number of very small injections into the scalp. Each patient usually needs 6 to 8 treatment sessions, given once per month.
The doctors have performed this stem cell-based hair loss treatment on more than 1,000 patients and they have not encountered a single allergic reaction or infection. Indeed, no serious complications have occurred in their patients.
Not only is this stem cell-based hair loss treatment safe, but it is also apparently effective, as well. Patients have new growth of thin hair after two or three treatments, but this is minor and can usually only be detected by the doctors. After the fourth or fifth treatment, however, patients often notice new hair growth. By the sixth treatment, most patients can easily see new hair growth.
To confirm the effectiveness of their treatment, the doctors performed a half-side comparison test. In this test, they injected the stem cell-based hair loss treatment on one side of the scalp and injected saline on the other. The side of the scalp that received the stem cell extract had significantly more hair growth than the saline-treated side. This is strong evidence that the treatment is effective.
Reference: Fukuoka H. et al. (2017). Hair Regeneration Therapy: Application of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells. 2017;12(7):531-534.
Spinal cord injury is severe neurological condition in which
the major mode of transmission between the brain and the body is disrupted.
When higher levels of the spinal cord are injured, for example, in the neck,
the injury can be immediately fatal. Those who survived spinal cord injury are
often left paralyzed and at risk for a number of comorbid conditions
such as pneumonia, depression, skin ulceration infection, urinary tract
infections, and pain.
If patients who sustain spinal cord injury can receive
medical treatment quickly, physicians may administer glucocorticoids to help
reduce swelling around the injury and preserve spinal cord function. Patients
may also undergo therapeutic
hypothermia (a.k.a. targeted temperature management, whole body cooling),
also to help reduce inflammation and prevent scar tissue from forming around
the damaged spinal cord.
After the first few days to weeks after spinal cord injury,
not much can be done to change the outcome of the disease. Patients may undergo
intensive physical, occupational, and speech therapy to help regain function,
but more often than not the neurological deficits are mostly permanent. Hence,
researchers are feverishly searching for ways to treat spinal cord injury and,
by extension, prevent or reduce paralysis and other chronic complications.
Mesenchymal stem cells are an intriguing potential therapy
for spinal cord injury. These cells can easily be obtained from many different
tissues including bone marrow and fat among others. In animals, mesenchymal stem
cells have been shown to improve changes that occur during spinal cord injury,
namely the regeneration
and strengthening of nerve cells in the spinal cord. Research
has also shown how adipose-derived stem cells are a potential option for those
with neurological conditions such as spinal cord injury.
To test this possible effect in humans, researchers collected
mesenchymal stromal (stem) cells from patients with spinal cord injury in
their upper back (i.e. thoracic spinal cord). Researchers then prepared and administered
those cells back into the cerebrospinal fluid of the same patients. Each
patient received two or three injections of approximately 1,000,000 cells per
kilogram body weight. There were no adverse effects of the treatment for up to
two years after injection. MRI imaging showed no abnormalities resulting from
stem cell infusion. While the authors write that there were too few patients to
make any firm conclusions about the efficacy of the treatment, they were
strongly encouraged by the safety of the procedure. In fact, they use these
results to begin a placebo-controlled clinical trial.
Reference
Satti et al. (2016). Autologous mesenchymal stromal cell
transplantation for spinal cord injury: A Phase I pilot study. International Society for Cellular Therapy,
18(4),518-522.
Most organs of the body recover from injury by generating new, healthy cells. Not every organ of the body has the same ability to form new cells, however. The skin is an example of an organ that has an amazing ability to regenerate. Liver and lung also have the ability to form new cells, but not as dramatically as skin. Kidney and heart have even less ability to repair and regenerate. On the opposite end of the spectrum from the skin is the brain, which has very little capacity to regenerate once it has been damaged or destroyed. All of these organ systems, especially those that are relatively unable to repair themselves, could theoretically benefit from stem cells.
Mesenchymal stem cells, also known as stromal cells, are multipotent stem cells derived from bone marrow, umbilical cord, placenta, or adipose (fat) tissue. These cells can become the cells that make up bone, cartilage, fat, heart, blood vessels, and even brain. Mesenchymal stem cells have shown a remarkable ability to help the body to produce new cells. Researchers are now realizing that the substances stem cells release may be more important than any new cells they may become. In other words, stem cells can directly become new healthy cells to a certain degree, but they can also release substances that dramatically increase the number of new, healthy cells.
Mesenchymal stromal stem cells release small packets called exosomes. These exosomes are filled with various substances that promote cell and tissue growth. Some of the most interesting and potentially useful substances are cytokines and micro RNA. Cytokines are the traffic cops of cellular repair, signaling certain events to take place while stopping others. Having the right cytokines in a particular area is critical for new tissue growth. The micro RNA released by stem cell exosomes is potentially even more exciting than cytokines. These tiny bits of RNA can directly affect how healthy and diseased cells behave. Micro RNA has a powerful ability to control the biological machinery inside of cells.
Exosomes exhibit a wide array of biological effects that promote the repair and growth of damaged and diseased organs. They promote the growth of skin cells and help wounds heal. Exosomes can reduce lung swelling and inflammation and even help the lung tissue heal itself (i.e. reduced pulmonary hypertension, decrease ventricular hypertrophy, and improve lung vascular remodeling). These small packets released by stem cells help prevent liver cells from dying (i.e. prevents apoptosis), promote liver cell regeneration, and slow down liver cirrhosis (i.e. fibrosis). Exosomes can also help protect the kidneys during acute injury and reduce the damage that occurs during a heart attack.
Several clinical trials are underway designed to allow these exciting developments to be used to treat patients. As the researchers state, “Extensive research and clinical trials are currently underway for the use of MSCs as regenerative agents in many diseases including spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, liver cirrhosis and hepatitis, osteoarthritis, myocardial infarction, kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes mellitus, knee cartilage injuries, organ transplantation, and graft-versus-host disease.” We can reasonably expect that exosomes will be used to treat at least some of these conditions in the very near future.
Although all living organisms experience aging, scientists have relatively little understanding of why aging occurs. The leading theories on aging suggest that living creatures sustain damage to their DNA through exposure to ultraviolet light, toxins, or even the day-to-day stresses of using oxygen for our cellular metabolism. Whatever the cause, this DNA damage causes cells to 1) repair themselves, 2) die, or 3) enter a middle state called senescence where they remain alive, but simply stop participating in active living. If cells successfully repair themselves, they don’t perceptibly age. If cells enter senescence or die, the body shows signs of aging.
The bottom line: If we can help cells repair themselves, and replace dying and senescent cells, we can slow or even reverse aging. All of this may be possible through the careful use of stem cells.
As we age, stem cells lose the ability to renew themselves, to become other cells (differentiate) and to replace aged cells. Older stem cells secrete less and less of the substances that help the cells around them stay young and healthy. Not only do our regular cells age, but so do our stem cells. This is perhaps the strongest point for using stem cells to reverse the visible signs of aging.
Adipose-derived stem cells are one of the most promising sources of stem cells for anti-aging and regenerative medicine. They are easy to harvest by liposuction to remove stem cells along with fat cells. In addition, adipose-derived stem cells have the potential to become all cell types in the skin; namely fat cells, skin cells, muscle cells, and fibroblasts, and others. Even if the stem cells do not become other cells, they strongly secrete cytokines and other substances that help renew and replenish the cells around them.
While additional research is required, adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells are currently being tested in clinical trials to treat a number of age-related conditions. Indeed, clinicians are currently using the stem cells to perform a number of aesthetic procedures such as breast or buttock augmentation, hand rejuvenation, as facial dermal fillers, and to promote and restore hair growth. As we learn more about how to use the power of stem cells in aesthetic procedures, we will be able to better address the visible signs of aging in the face and body.
Bone generally develops via one of two distinct mechanisms: intramembranous ossification and endochondral ossification. In the former case, mesenchymal progenitor cells directly differentiate into osteoblasts that form bone. In the latter case, the mesenchymal progenitor cells first create a matrix of cartilage that then acts as a template to enable the remodeling or development of bone tissue. This process of endochondral ossification is the predominant way that bone is generating during the healing process after bones are broken and fractures are endured. Using stem cells to facilitate this process can, therefore, be beneficial in non-healing bone fractures.
A new study published in Acta Biomaterialia has proposed that adipose tissue can be used in bone generation as a scaffold on which adipose mesenchymal stem cells can expand and allow for endochondral ossification. The researchers showed how adipose tissue could be used in this way, through what they termed Adiscaf, to successfully generate cartilage tissue and eventually bone tissue formation. The bone tissue that formed through this process contained bone marrow elements, further demonstrating the bone’s integrity and the promise of this procedure.
Compared to other strategies for building scaffolding, this strategy appeared successful because by using adipose tissue, the adipose stem cells were exposed to their native environment and therefore likely maintained functions they otherwise may not have. Not only will these findings help to solidify our understanding of how to nurture stem cells and enable them to differentiate in ways that can be therapeutically applicable, but they also specifically show how adipose tissue may be able to be used to generate a bone organ through endochondral ossification. Future research will likely help to clarify how these findings can be applied to patients to improve bone healing.
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