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Review
. 2012 Oct;16(10):2280-90.
doi: 10.1111/j.1582-4934.2012.01575.x.

Trophic factors and cell therapy to stimulate brain repair after ischaemic stroke

María Gutiérrez-Fernández  1 , Blanca Fuentes, Berta Rodríguez-Frutos, Jaime Ramos-Cejudo, María Teresa Vallejo-Cremades, Exuperio Díez-Tejedor
Affiliations
Review

Trophic factors and cell therapy to stimulate brain repair after ischaemic stroke

María Gutiérrez-Fernández et al. J Cell Mol Med. 2012 Oct.

Abstract

Brain repair involves a compendium of natural mechanisms that are activated following stroke. From a therapeutic viewpoint, reparative therapies that encourage cerebral plasticity are needed. In the last years, it has been demonstrated that modulatory treatments for brain repair such as trophic factor- and stem cell-based therapies can promote neurogenesis, gliogenesis, oligodendrogenesis, synaptogenesis and angiogenesis, all of which having a beneficial impact on infarct volume, cell death and, finally, and most importantly, on the functional recovery. However, even when promising results have been obtained in a wide range of experimental animal models and conditions these preliminary results have not yet demonstrated their clinical efficacy. Here, we focus on brain repair modulatory treatments for ischaemic stroke, that use trophic factors, drugs with trophic effects and stem cell therapy. Important and still unanswered questions for translational research ranging from experimental animal models to recent and ongoing clinical trials are reviewed here.

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Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic options in cerebral infarct. Time line for the mechanisms and therapy involved in endogenous protection and brain protection-repair after ischaemic stroke. MSCs: mesenchymal stem cells; UCBCs: umbilical cord blood cells; DSCs: dental stem cells; ESCs: embryonic stem cells; BMSCs: bone marrow stem cells; NSCs: neural stem cells; G-CSF: granulocyte colony-stimulating factor; VEGF: vascular endothelial growth factor; BDNF: brain-derived neurotrophic factor; NGF: nerve growth factor; bFGF: basic fibroblast growth factor; IGF-1: insulin growth factor-1; EPO: erythropoietin.
Fig 2
Fig 2
Brain repair therapies through brain plasticity enhancement. Mechanisms underlying cerebral plasticity associated with repair processes. G-CSF: granulocyte colony-stimulating factor; VEGF: vascular endothelial growth factor; BDNF: brain-derived neurotrophic factor; NGF: nerve growth factor; bFGF: basic fibroblast growth factor; IGF-1: insulin growth factor-1; EPO: erythropoietin; MSC: mesenchymal stem cells; UCBC: umbilical cord blood cells; DSC: dental stem cells; ESC: embryonic stem cells; BMSC: bone marrow stem cells; NSC: neural stem cells.
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