by admin | May 10, 2023 | Stem Cell Therapy, Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Multiple Sclerosis, Stem Cell Research
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that occurs as a result of the body’s immune system attacking the protective sheath, or myelin, responsible for covering nerve fibers. Characterized by progressive nerve deterioration and damage of the nerve fibers, MS is currently estimated to affect nearly 600,000 adults in the United States.
While a specific cause of MS has not yet been determined, recent findings have suggested interactions between environmental and genetic factors as contributors to the susceptibility to MS.
Current pharmaceutical treatments for MS have demonstrated the ability to slow symptoms associated with MS but have not demonstrated the ability to treat or prevent the disease itself.
Recent studies have identified mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as having anti-inflammatory properties that could potentially be an effective therapy option for preventing or managing overactivity and self-antigen attacks by T cells and macrophages that are commonly associated with MS.
As part of this review, Alanazi et al. examined the most relevant clinical trials that utilized MSCs from a variety of sources as part of their investigation into the effectiveness of these stem cells as a potential therapy for MS.
MSCs are able to be easily isolated from multiple sources of the human body, including bone marrow, adipose tissue, umbilical cord, and the placenta. These stem cells have also demonstrated the ability to be expanded in culture media and to be safely utilized as autologous treatment without the risk of rejection.
Regardless of their source, MSCs, in general, have been demonstrated to be highly proliferative, capable of self-renewal, and have immunomodulatory and neurodegenerative effects. In addition, MSCs demonstrate the ability to differentiate and secrete anti-inflammatory factors that allow them to control the progress of autoimmune diseases, including MS.
After examining numerous clinical trials utilizing MSCs from a range of sources, the authors conclude that MSCs – regardless of their source – will all work on inhibiting CD4+ and CD8+ T cell activation, T regulatory cells (Tregs), and macrophage switch into the auto-immune phenotype.
While there are many good sources of MSCs, Alanazi et al. also conclude that previously conducted clinical trials demonstrate umbilical cord MSCs (UCMSCs) to be the best option for the management of Multiple Sclerosis for several reasons. These reasons include faster self-renewal than other MSCs, the ability to differentiate into three germ layers, and the observed ability to accumulate in damaged tissue or inflamed areas.
Additionally, and besides being one of the few MSC sources without ethical concerns, UCMSCs offer benefits from a practical standpoint The separation of MSCs from the umbilical cord is easy and painless, the number of cells collected per unit is high, UCMSC transfusion is not expensive, and UCMSCs have been shown to be very safe to use in this application.
Considering the information presented in this review, Alanazi et al. recommend the clinical use of UCMSCs for regenerative medicine and immunotherapy.
Source: “Mesenchymal stem cell therapy: A review of clinical trials for multiple ….” 23 Aug. 2022, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36092509/.
by admin | May 3, 2023 | Stem Cell Therapy, COPD, Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Stem Cell Research, Umbilical Stem Cell
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an incurable and debilitating disease characterized by chronic and progressive inflammation that leads to small airway obstruction and emphysema.
According to the World Health Organization, COPD is the third leading cause of death and is responsible for an estimated 3.2 million deaths each year. Between 80 and 90% of all COPD cases are caused by exposure to cigarette smoke, meaning it is also one of the most preventable diseases.
In addition to the increased risk of death, COPD significantly affects the overall quality of life and is often associated with difficulty breathing, chronic cough, lack of energy, lung infections, lung cancer, and heart disease.
A number of stem-cell-based approaches to address this issue are currently being explored. In this study, Ridzuan et al. uses an animal model to assess the potential anti-inflammatory effects of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (hUC-MSC)-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) in cases of COPD.
EVs are small membrane vesicles of multivesicular bodies that are released by a variety of cells, including MSCs. Studies have demonstrated EVs isolated from MSCs mimic the therapeutic effects of MSCs.
Over the course of this study, and to mimic the symptoms observed with COPD, rats were exposed to cigarette smoke for up to 12 weeks, followed by transplantation of hUC-MSCs or application of hUC-MSC-derived EVs.
At the conclusion of this study, Ridzuan et al. found that both the transplantation of hUC-MSCs and the application of hUC-MSC-derived EVs reduced peribronchial and perivascular inflammation, slowed alveolar septal thickening, and decreased the number of goblet cells. Both applications also improved the loss of alveolar septa in the lung of COPD rats and regulated multiple pathways commonly associated with COPD.
Ridzuan et al. conclude that hUC-MSC-derived EVs effectively reduce COPD-induced inflammation and could have the potential to be a therapy for the management of COPD.
The authors also concluded that the selected treatment methods decreased the above-described symptoms at comparable rates. While there are still limited data demonstrating the regenerative and the anti-inflammatory effects of MSC-EVs to mitigate the inflammation in COPD, further study is needed to fully understand the anti-inflammatory effects of MSC-EVs and to better understand the specific mechanisms of action of all contents of MSC-EVs as they relate to the potential future treatment of COPD.
Source: “Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular ….” 12 Jan. 2021, https://stemcellres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13287-020-02088-6.
by admin | Apr 5, 2023 | Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Stem Cell Research
Cigarette smoking continues to be the leading contributor to preventable disease and death in the United States, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Smoking cigarettes also increases the risk of tuberculosis, certain eye diseases, chronic pain, and problems of the immune system, including rheumatoid arthritis.
An abundance of clinical research has clearly shown the detrimental effects cigarette smoke has on nearly every area of the body. However, while assumed to be equally dangerous in its effect on stem cells, there is surprisingly little research exploring the negative implications of cigarette smoking on stem cells.
In this review, Nguyen et al. share findings of recent studies on the effects of cigarette smoking and nicotine on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), with a specific focus on dental stem cells.
With their ability to self-renew, develop into specialized cell types, and migrate to potential sites of injury, stem cells have demonstrated the potential to build every tissue in the body and have also demonstrated great potential for tissue regeneration and associated therapeutic uses.
As the potential benefits and weaknesses of stem cells continue to be discovered, researchers have found that cigarette smoking negatively impacts the abilities of stem cells while also limiting stem cell viability for transplantation and regeneration.
While there has been a recent decline in the percentage of U.S. adults who smoke, over 34 million U.S. adults continue to be regular cigarette smokers. Interestingly, research has demonstrated the concentration of nicotine to be significantly higher in saliva than in blood plasma following nicotine administration via cigarette, e-cigarette, and nicotine patch – in some cases measuring up to eight times higher concentrations. Considering this research, and considering the established detrimental effects of e-cigarette vapor – and presumably nicotine – on teeth and dental implants, the authors of this review hypothesized that there would be a similar effect when dental stem cells are exposed to cigarette smoke.
Reviewing the effect that cigarette smoke has on MSCs, the authors found that exposing MSCs to cigarette smoke extract (CSE) and nicotine impaired cell migration, increased early and late osteogenic differentiation markers, decreased cell proliferation, and significantly inhibited the ability of MSCs to differentiate to other types of cells.
Nguyen et al. reviewed research that determined cigarette smoke produced a negative impact on the proliferation and differentiation of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). Specifically, this research demonstrated a significantly higher depression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and osteocalcin (OC) genes in smokers when compared to nonsmokers. Additional studies found that smokers demonstrated reduced calcium deposition levels and production of ALP when compared to nonsmokers.
Cigarette smoke and nicotine were also found to negatively affect the migration capability of dental stem cells, slowing the migration rate by up to 12% in smokers while also producing a smaller reduction of scratch wound areas when compared to nonsmokers.
While there are not many studies directly comparing the effects of cigarette smoke and nicotine on MSCs and dental stem cells, the authors conclude that dental stem cells exhibit similar characteristics to bone marrow MSCs and that both of these types of stem cells demonstrate similar negative responses upon their exposure to nicotine.
While the authors call for further research to better understand the specific effects of cigarette smoke on dental stem cells, the authors conclude that the findings demonstrating similar responses to cigarette smoke and nicotine between dental stem cells and MSCs can be used to inform future dental stem cell studies. These findings will help dentists better identify which patients might be at an increased risk of poor healing in the oral cavity and if smoking cessation should be considered before undergoing any invasive or traumatic dental procedure, such as tooth extraction.
Source: Comparison of the effect of cigarette smoke on mesenchymal stem ….” https://journals.physiology.org/doi/10.1152/ajpcell.00217.2020.
by admin | Mar 17, 2023 | Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Stem Cell Research, Stem Cell Therapy
An estimated 100 million people in the U.S. have some form of acute or chronic liver disease. Many factors, including viral and bacterial infections, substance abuse, diabetes, and fat deposition, contribute to conditions that harm the liver.
Left untreated, these liver conditions often progress to more serious diseases that often require a liver transplant. Historically, a host of issues – including a low number of tissue donors, a high rate of tissue rejection, medicine-induced immunosuppression, and high associated medical costs – has limited access to, and the effectiveness of, liver transplantation as a viable solution.
Considering the limited options available for the successful treatment of liver disease, identifying alternative treatment options has become very important. Recently, the potential treatment of acute and chronic liver disease using regenerative medicine, also known as stem cell therapy, has garnered an increased amount of attention.
While a number of different types of stem cells have been used to treat liver disease, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been the most studied and successful in reducing the need for liver transplantation.
MSCs have been used to repair liver tissue through a number of different methods, including co-culturing with HSCs to reduce and prevent the progression of fibrosis and the proliferation of disease-causing cells through the production and secretion of specific inflammatory factors.
Treatment of liver disease with MSCs has also been shown to increase endothelial precursor cell proliferation while suppressing apoptosis in LSECs and hepatocytes, and by lowering serum transaminase enzyme levels. MSCs have also been shown to compensate for hepatocyte reduction resulting through liver-disease induced apoptosis by differentiating into hepatocyte-like cells.
Considering the observed role of MSCs in liver tissue repair and regeneration, Hazrati et al concluded that the use of MSCs induces the repair and regeneration of liver tissue through immune response modulation, differentiation into HLCs, increased proliferation and decreased apoptosis in hepatocytes, increased apoptosis and reduced function of HSCs and improve the function of LSECs.
The authors also point out that, as of publication, there were 61 active clinical trials using MSCs to treat a variety of liver-related diseases, including cirrhosis, fibrosis, and liver failure. The associated advantages of MSCs in the treatment of acute and chronic inflammatory liver disease include ease of isolation and culture, pluripotency, immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties, extracellular signaling, and their ability to differentiate.
The authors conclude this review by summarizing the observed benefits of using MSCs, and specifically MSC-EVs to improve liver function and support the repair of damaged liver tissue. The authors also point out that while there have been numerous clinical trials using MSCs to treat liver disease, there have been no clinical trials performed on the use of MSC-EVs and call for additional research to investigate the long-term effects of treating liver disease with MSC-EVs.
Source: “Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cells and Their Extracellular Vesicles ….” https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2022.865888/full.
by admin | Feb 15, 2023 | Spinal Cord Injury, Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Stem Cell Research, Stem Cell Therapy
Spinal cord injury (SCI) often results in damage to the spinal cord or the nerves found within the spinal column. Currently estimated to affect over 17,000 new patients each year in the United States, with 81% of these patients being male, the most common causes of SCIs are motor vehicle accidents, falls, acts of violence, and sports/recreational activities.
Current SCI treatment methods are unable to support the regeneration of the spinal cord and often lead to permanent nerve damage that affects motor and sensory function. The nature of SCI injuries often leaves patients unable to function at pre-injury levels and results in significant impacts on issues related to physical, mental, and socioeconomic health.
As more is learned about the potential benefits of regenerative medicine in the regeneration and repair of damaged cells and tissue, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as potential candidates for the therapy management of SCIs; primarily because of their ability to release bioactive factors, their antiapoptotic effects, ability to inhibit scaring, and their ability to produce angiogenic effects.
Fracaro et al.’s review provides information about the damage from primary and secondary events after SCI, traditional treatments, and results of pre-clinical and clinical trials examining the use of MSCs as an SCI-tissue regeneration strategy.
Before sustaining an SCI, a wide range of inflammatory cells – all except for microglia – are found in blood vessels and throughout the spinal cord. Upon injury, it is common to observe immediate neuronal and glial death at the site of the injury followed by the development of an inflammatory process in the vascular and medullary region; it is this secondary response that results in the deterioration of the spinal cord and a general worsening of the condition. In the weeks and months following injury, remaining neutrophils and lymphocytes are found in the intravascular region, inactivated microglia remain in white matter, and macrophages are found in gray matter.
Traditional SCI treatments have demonstrated an inability to completely regenerate nervous tissue. Most of these traditional treatment methods attempt to reduce side effects and protect injured nerve tissue. Commonly used SCI treatments frequently include decompression surgery to relieve pressure and reduce hypoxia and ischemia; intravenous application of methylprednisolone sodium succinate (MPSS) to inhibit lipid peroxidation; neuroprotective agents to reduce cell dysfunction and death; and electrostimulation as a way to inhibit inflammation and reduce secondary injuries.
Despite the different techniques mentioned above, cell-based therapy is the only promising treatment aimed at regeneration. Stromal cells, and specifically MSCs, have demonstrated the potential for self-regeneration, differentiation, and immunomodulation. Although research has yet to determine exactly how MSCs promote functional recovery after SCI, they are widely thought to work through secreting different factors and biomolecules. MSCs have also demonstrated the ability to reduce inflammation, which is a very common secondary event occurring after SCI trauma.
The authors conclude this review by pointing out that a better understanding of the regenerative effects of stromal cells in the nervous system is required in order for the future development of cell-based therapies for patients with SCI.
Source: “Mesenchymal stromal cells as a choice for spinal cord injury treatment.” https://www.oaepublish.com/neurosciences/article/view/3329.
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