Cell therapy for the treatment of spinal cord injury with focus on stem cells: A review

Traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCIs) cause physical disruption of axons through the epicenter of the injury site, the release of factors that alter neuronal excitability, and inflammation, leading to deficits in motor, sensory, and autonomic function. Other factors contributing to loss of function include the death of cells and the formation of scar tissue that inhibits regeneration. Current clinical treatments for SCI include performing surgery to stabilize the injury site, administering high doses of corticosteroids to limit secondary injury processes, and providing rehabilitative care. However, no long term cures exist for the treatment of SCI and accordingly more aggressive strategies for repairing the damaged spinal cord have been investigated. A number of different cell therapies have been evaluated in both pre-clinical and clinical trials and here we review these studies that evaluated the following types of cell therapies: neural cells derived from embryonic stem cells (ESCs), oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), motor neuron progenitor cells (MNPs), neural stem cells (NSCs), bone marrow-derived stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), olfactory unsheathing cells (OECs) and Schwann cells (SCs). We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each cell type and their specific role in functional improvement. We highlight preclinical versus clinical studies along with discussion of new clinical trials and give suggestions for future areas of study.Traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCIs) cause physical disruption of axons through the epicenter of the injury site, the release of factors that alter neuronal excitability, and inflammation, leading to deficits in motor, sensory, and autonomic function. Other factors contributing to loss of function include the death of cells and the formation of scar tissue that inhibits regeneration. Current clinical treatments for SCI include performing surgery to stabilize the injury site, administering high doses of corticosteroids to limit secondary injury processes, and providing rehabilitative care. However, no long term cures exist for the treatment of SCI and accordingly more aggressive strategies for repairing the damaged spinal cord have been investigated. A number of different cell therapies have been evaluated in both pre-clinical and clinical trials and here we review these studies that evaluated the following types of cell therapies: neural cells derived from embryonic stem cells (ESCs), oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), motor neuron progenitor cells (MNPs), neural stem cells (NSCs), bone marrow-derived stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), olfactory unsheathing cells (OECs) and Schwann cells (SCs). We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each cell type and their specific role in functional improvement. We highlight preclinical versus clinical studies along with discussion of new clinical trials and give suggestions for future areas of study.

کلیدواژه ها:

stem cells ، spinal cord injury ، embryonic stem cells ، neural stem cell ، clinical trials ، olfactory ensheathing cells ، Schwann cells ، induced pluripotent stem cells