A recent review in the World Journal of Stem Cells has described the nature of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells and the clinical advantages of using these stem cells over other types of stem cells. Other mesenchymal stem cells that are used in research come from: bone marrow, peripheral blood, cord blood, placenta, adipose tissue, dental pulp, and fetal liver and lungs.
One of the main advantages of umbilical cord stem cells, for both research and clinical purposes, is its ease of collection. The collection is noninvasive, circumventing the issue of causing pain to extract the cells. Further, as umbilical cord is generally viewed as medical waste, the cells can be collected without the same ethical issues that are raised by the collection of other cell types.
The cells are also plentiful when collected and can be banked for later use. According to the researchers, the only disadvantage of umbilical cord stem cells in this context is that a physician must evaluate the baby donor’s health and confirm that the cells derive from a healthy baby. This requirement stems from the fact that the cells are more likely to develop into healthy cells themselves if they come from a healthy baby. However, in the case of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells, a physician can evaluate the potential donor first and then decide whether to collect the cells.
The immunomodulatory characteristics of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells also represent a major practical advantage of these cells for clinical applications. The introduction of any foreign agent to the body poses a risk because the immune system may recognize the matter as foreign and deem it threatening. If this immune response occurs, the immune reaction that ensues can cause severe long-term damage to tissues. Given that umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells cause these immune reactions much less frequently than do other stem cell types makes them potentially safer as therapeutic interventions.
More research is needed to determine the best ways to use umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells. However, the evidence that there are clinical benefits to using these cells over other stem cell types is accumulating.
To learn more about the five benefits of stem cell therapy, click here.
A recent study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, demonstrates that the repeated infusion of mesenchymal stem cells could improve the safety of certain type of stem cell cancer therapies. Specifically, this approach could reduce dangerous graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) symptoms in patients who have undergone a certain type of stem cell transplantation, known as HLA-haploidentical hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HLA-haplo HSCT).
While HLA-haplo HSCT can reduce the risk of relapse in leukemia patients, it is also associated with an immune reaction that is the leading cause of death in the patients that do not relapse. In these cases, the patient’s immune system mistakes the newly transplanted stem cells as dangerous foreign agents and attacks them. This reaction leads to organ damage and death.
Given that HLA-haplo HSCT can be effective against leukemia, researchers have wanted to find a way to increase its safety. This study was undertaken to determine if multiple infusions of mesenchymal stem cells could help the immune system learn to cope with the stem cells and minimize their reaction.
To test their idea, researchers studied 124 patients who had undergone HLA-haplo HSCT. They gave half of those patients multiple infusions of mesenchymal stem cells, and the other half received saline infusions known to have no effect. The researchers found that the patients who were given the mesenchymal stem cell infusions had a lower incidence of cGVHD than the patients who were given saline infusions.
Not only were the symptoms different between the group who received mesenchymal stem cell infusions and those who did not, but so too was the activity of immune cells. The mesenchymal stem cell infusions resulted in more memory B lymphocytes and regulatory T cells, both of which could help mitigate cGVHD symptoms. These infusions were also associated with fewer natural killer cells, which are important cells for immune cell reactions like cGVHD.
While more research is needed to determine exactly how mesenchymal stem cells should be used to prevent cGVHD and to what extent these cells can improve the safety of HLA-haplo HSCT, these results provide hope that leukemia patients will be able to more safely receive effective stem cell treatments in the future.
To learn more about the safety of adipose stem cell procedure, click here.
Research has long shown that nitric oxide regulates the cardiovascular system. The molecule naturally occurs within cells and organs of the body but quickly degrades. Physicians and scientists have therefore suggested that supplementing patients with cardiovascular issues with nitric oxide could be beneficial. Recently, studies have shown that this type of nitric oxide supplementation does indeed improve blood pressure and other cardiovascular functions.
Two recent studies specifically employed an orally disintegrating lozenge that supplements the body with nitric oxide through the oral cavity. One of these studies was performed on 30 patients with clinical hypertension, and the other was performed on 30 patients with pre-hypertension. Whereas hypertension refers to chronically high blood pressure, prehypertension is a clinical stage that leads to this condition. Previously, the only treatment options for prehypertension were changes to diet and lifestyle.
The impact of the nitric oxide supplementation was seen with a single dose for hypertensive patients and observed after a 30-day period of supplementation in the pre-hypertensive patients. In both groups, the oral supplements reduced blood pressure. In the hypertensive patients, the lozenges also improved endothelial function and vascular compliance in patients who were not otherwise treated for hypertension. Endothelial function refers to the functioning of the inner lining of the blood vessels, whereas vascular compliance refers to how well the arteries and veins stretch when exposed to pressure. In the pre-hypertensive patients, functional capacity was also improved, as was quality of life. The quality life measure was not assessed in the hypertensive patients but may too have been improved.
Unlike many medical interventions, nitric oxide supplementation has counterparts that naturally occur in the human body. Given that it is already present in the body, it is reasonable to assume that nitric oxide, at least at certain doses, is safe. This new literature that demonstrates the beneficial cardiovascular effects of nitric oxide supplementation suggests that nitric oxide supplements may represent a promising new therapeutic intervention in cardiovascular medicine.
One of the several unfortunate side effects of chemotherapy, which is often used to combat cancer, is damage to the ovaries. Researchers have recently shown that the use of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells provides one potentially promising way to treat the ovaries after the damage has occurred.
Depending on the age of the patient, the impact of chemotherapy-induced damage to the ovaries on quality of life can range from mild to devastating. For young patients who hope to have children, it is important to restore ovary function. Stem cells may provide a way to achieve this goal.
In the current study, researchers showed a number of positive effects of both injecting stem cells directing into the ovary, as well as injecting them less invasively, outside the body. The stem cell treatments were associated with recovery of the estrous cycle, and they led to a rise in sex hormone levels. In some cases, fertility was even restored and led to offspring that appeared to develop normally.
Though the restoration of ovary function occurred faster when the stem cells were injected into the ovaries, the long-term results of the two strategies were similar. These results suggest that a non-invasive form of stem cell therapy could be effective. However, when cells were injected directly into the ovary, they distributed within the ovary and uterus, whereas those injected from outside the body reached not only the ovary and uterus, but also the kidney, liver, and lungs. From this standpoint, direct injection of stem cells into the ovaries may be more desirable than injection from outside the body. However,
These data represent early evidence for the ability of stem cells to help reverse some of the damage that ovaries endure due to chemotherapy. However, the observation that ovary function can be improved as a result of stem cell injection provides an opportunity for further exploration into potential treatments for women whose ovaries have been damaged by chemotherapy.
Learn more about why umbilical cord stem cells are showing promise for stem cell-based therapies here.
Muscle atrophy refers to the wasting of muscles, which can occur due to lack of exercise or as a result of disease or even medication. Some forms of muscle atrophy can be treated with changes to the diet, exercise, or physical therapy, whereas others can be treated with clinical interventions like ultrasound therapy or surgery. However, researchers have now shown that stem cells may provide a way to prevent muscle atrophy in the first place.
While there may be visible signs of muscle atrophy, there are certain physiological events that allow doctors and scientists to determine with a greater degree of certainty whether muscle atrophy is occurring. For instance, when muscle atrophy occurs, certain proteins are expressed in lower amounts than they would normally be. The existence of these proteins gives researchers the opportunity to measure the levels of these proteins and thereby determine if and to what extent muscles are atrophying.
In the current study, researchers showed that in the presence of dexamethasone, a compound known to induce muscle atrophy, a mesenchymal stem cell-conditioned medium minimized the extent of atrophy. The researchers reached this conclusion because the expression of muscle atrophy-related protein was closer to normal when the mesenchymal stem cell medium was present than when it was not.
This preliminary evidence suggests that stem cells may be able to prevent muscle wasting and atrophy. Further studies that examine the impact of stem cells on muscle function will further our understanding of if and how stem cells will be able to be leveraged for the development of treatments or preventions for muscle atrophy.
Learn more about five benefits of stem cell therapy here.
Diabetic kidney disease often occurs in those with diabetes mellitus, even when they are undergoing normal diabetes treatment. Given the success that has been seen with a number of stem cell therapies and the lack of highly effective treatment options for diabetic kidney disease, much effort has been focused on determining if and how stem cells could be applied to this disease. In a recent review published in Current Diabetic Reports, researchers reviewed the progress that has occurred thus far in the work toward a potential stem cell therapy for diabetic kidney disease.
Diabetic kidney disease is complex because it involves problems both within the kidney, as well as more systemic issues that arise throughout the body. Because of its complexity, effective treatment is challenging. One way the disease has been treated is by inhibiting a hormone system, called the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, which regulates blood pressure in the arteries and the concentration of plasma sodium. When the system is too active, blood pressure increases, so inhibiting the system can help to lower that blood pressure. However, drugs for targeting other features of diabetic kidney disease have not yet proved to be significantly useful.
The type of stem cell that is particularly promising for use in diabetic kidney disease is the mesenchymal stem cell. Mesenchymal stem cells are easy to access and inherently possess some of the characteristics that would prove useful in treating kidney disease, including working to reduce inflammation protect cells. Preclinical studies have shown promising results in using mesenchymal stem cells to slow the progression of diabetic kidney disease. Clinical trials are currently underway to help determine if these cells can indeed help those with diabetic kidney disease and to additionally help to develop specific protocol for applying stem cell treatments in this disease.
Meanwhile, basic science research continues to be undertaken to help elucidate the mechanisms by which stem cells may impart benefits on those with diabetic kidney disease. Understanding the mechanism of action could help inform the development of specific therapies and efficiently end routes of investigation that are unlikely to be fruitful.
Studies have shown that stem cells can be useful for treating kidney disease. Read about it here.
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