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Review
. 2022 Feb 23;12(3):344.
doi: 10.3390/biom12030344.

Insights into Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Astrocytes in Neurodegenerative Disorders

Mandeep Kumar  1 , Nhung Thi Phuong Nguyen  1 , Marco Milanese  1   2 , Giambattista Bonanno  1   2   3
Affiliations
Review

Insights into Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Astrocytes in Neurodegenerative Disorders

Mandeep Kumar et al. Biomolecules. .

Abstract

Most neurodegenerative disorders have complex and still unresolved pathology characterized by progressive neuronal damage and death. Astrocytes, the most-abundant non-neuronal cell population in the central nervous system, play a vital role in these processes. They are involved in various functions in the brain, such as the regulation of synapse formation, neuroinflammation, and lactate and glutamate levels. The development of human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) reformed the research in neurodegenerative disorders allowing for the generation of disease-relevant neuronal and non-neuronal cell types that can help in disease modeling, drug screening, and, possibly, cell transplantation strategies. In the last 14 years, the differentiation of human iPSCs into astrocytes allowed for the opportunity to explore the contribution of astrocytes to neurodegenerative diseases. This review discusses the development protocols and applications of human iPSC-derived astrocytes in the most common neurodegenerative conditions.

Keywords: disease modeling; human-induced pluripotent stem cells; iPSC-derived astrocytes; neurodegenerative disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic steps for differentiation of iPSC to astrocytes.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic representation of the preparation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and induced neural progenitor cells (iNPCs) from human and rodent somatic cells and their transformation into astrocytes relevant to various neurodegenerative disorders.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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