Neural differentiation and support of neuroregeneration of non-neural adult stem cells

Repair of Peripheral Nerve Sensory Impairments via the Transplantation of Bone Marrow Neural Tissue-Committed Stem Cell-Derived Sensory Neurons

The present study aimed to investigate the efficacy of transplantation of bone marrow neural tissue-committed stem cell-derived sensory neuron-like cells for the repair of peripheral nerve sensory impairments in rats. Bone marrow was isolated and cultured to obtain the neural tissue-committed stem cells (NTCSCs), and the differentiation of these cells into sensory neuron-like cells was induced. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), bone marrow NTCSCs, and bone marrow NTCSC-derived sensory neurons (NTCSC-SNs) were transplanted by microinjection into the L4 and L5 dorsal root ganglions (DRGs) in an animal model of sensory defect. On the 2nd, 4th, 8th, and 12th week after the transplantation, the effects of the three types of stem cells on the repair of the sensory functional defect were analyzed via behavioral observation, sensory function evaluation, electrophysiological examination of the sciatic nerve, and morphological observation of the DRGs. The results revealed that the transplanted BMSCs, NTCSCs, and NTCSC-SNs were all able to repair the sensory nerves. In addition, the effect of the NTCSC-SNs was significantly better than that of the other two types of stem cells. The general posture and gait of the animals in the sensory defect model exhibited evident improvement over time. Plantar temperature sensitivity and pain sensitivity gradually recovered, and the sensation latency was reduced, with faster sensory nerve conduction velocity. Transplantation of NTCSC-SNs can improve the repair of peripheral nerve sensory defects in rats.

Human Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells Derived From Epileptic Human Brain in a Self-Assembling Peptide Nanoscaffold Improve Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a disruption in the brain functions following a head trauma. Cell therapy may provide a promising treatment for TBI. Among different cell types, human neural stem cells cultured in self-assembling peptide scaffolds have been suggested as a potential novel method for cell replacement treatment after TBI. In the present study, we accessed the effects of human neural stem/progenitor cells (hNS/PCs) derived from epileptic human brain and human adipose-derived stromal/stem cells (hADSCs) seeded in PuraMatrix hydrogel (PM) on brain function after TBI in an animal model of brain injury. hNS/PCs were isolated from patients with medically intractable epilepsy undergone epilepsy surgery. hNS/PCs and hADSCs have the potential for proliferation and differentiation into both neuronal and glial lineages. Assessment of the growth characteristics of hNS/PCs and hADSCs revealed that the hNS/PCs doubling time was significantly longer and the growth rate was lower than hADSCs. Transplantation of hNS/PCs and hADSCs seeded in PM improved functional recovery, decreased lesion volume, inhibited neuroinflammation, and reduced the reactive gliosis at the injury site. The data suggest the transplantation of hNS/PCs or hADSCs cultured in PM as a promising treatment option for cell replacement therapy in TBI.

Review of Preclinical and Clinical Studies of Bone Marrow-Derived Cell Therapies for Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Stroke is the second leading cause of mortality worldwide, causing millions of deaths annually, and is also a major cause of disability-adjusted life years. Hemorrhagic stroke accounts for approximately 10 to 27% of all cases and has a fatality rate of about 50% in the first 30 days, with limited treatment possibilities. In the past two decades, the therapeutic potential of bone marrow-derived cells (particularly mesenchymal stem cells and mononuclear cells) has been intensively investigated in preclinical models of different neurological diseases, including models of intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage. More recently, clinical studies, most of them small, unblinded, and nonrandomized, have suggested that the therapy with bone marrow-derived cells is safe and feasible in patients with ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. This review discusses the available evidence on the use of bone marrow-derived cells to treat hemorrhagic strokes. Distinctive properties of animal studies are analyzed, including study design, cell dose, administration route, therapeutic time window, and possible mechanisms of action. Furthermore, clinical trials are also reviewed and discussed, with the objective of improving future studies in the field.

Characterization of neurons from immortalized dental pulp stem cells for the study of neurogenetic disorders

A major challenge to the study and treatment of neurogenetic syndromes is accessing live neurons for study from affected individuals. Although several sources of stem cells are currently available, acquiring these involve invasive procedures, may be difficult or expensive to generate and are limited in number. Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are multipotent stem cells that reside deep the pulp of shed teeth. To investigate the characteristics of DPSCs that make them a valuable resource for translational research, we performed a set of viability, senescence, immortalization and gene expression studies on control DPSC and derived neurons. We investigated the basic transport conditions and maximum passage number for primary DPSCs. We immortalized control DPSCs using human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) and evaluated neuronal differentiation potential and global gene expression changes by RNA-seq. We show that neurons from immortalized DPSCs share morphological and electrophysiological properties with non-immortalized DPSCs. We also show that differentiation of DPSCs into neurons significantly alters gene expression for 1305 transcripts. Here we show that these changes in gene expression are concurrent with changes in protein levels of the transcriptional repressor REST/NRSF, which is known to be involved in neuronal differentiation. Immortalization significantly altered the expression of 183 genes after neuronal differentiation, 94 of which also changed during differentiation. Our studies indicate that viable DPSCs can be obtained from teeth stored for ≥72 h, these can then be immortalized and still produce functional neurons for in vitro studies, but that constitutive hTERT immortalization is not be the best approach for long term use of patient derived DPSCs for the study of disease.

Human dental mesenchymal stem cells and neural regeneration

Nerve tissue presents inherent difficulties for its effective regeneration. Stem cell transplantation is considered an auspicious treatment for neuronal injuries. Recently, human dental mesenchymal stem cells (DMSCs) have received extensive attention in the field of regenerative medicine due to their accessibility and multipotency. Since their origin is within the neural crest, they can be differentiated into neural crest-derived cells including neuron and glia cells both in vitro and in vivo. DMSCs are also able to secrete a wide variety of neurotrophins and chemokines, which promote neuronal cells to survival and differentiation. Experimental evidence has shown that human DMSCs engraftment recovered neuronal tissue damage in animal models of central nervous system injuries. Human DMSCs can be a new hope for treatment of nervous system diseases and deficits such as spinal cord injury, stroke and Parkinson's disease.