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Review
. 2024 Jan 12;25(2):976.
doi: 10.3390/ijms25020976.

Perinatal Tissue-Derived Stem Cells: An Emerging Therapeutic Strategy for Challenging Neurodegenerative Diseases

Annalisa Bruno  1   2 , Cristina Milillo  1   3 , Federico Anaclerio  1   3 , Carlotta Buccolini  1   3 , Anastasia Dell'Elice  1   3 , Ilaria Angilletta  1   3 , Marco Gatta  1   2 , Patrizia Ballerini  1   2 , Ivana Antonucci  1   3
Affiliations
Review

Perinatal Tissue-Derived Stem Cells: An Emerging Therapeutic Strategy for Challenging Neurodegenerative Diseases

Annalisa Bruno et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Over the past 20 years, stem cell therapy has been considered a promising option for treating numerous disorders, in particular, neurodegenerative disorders. Stem cells exert neuroprotective and neurodegenerative benefits through different mechanisms, such as the secretion of neurotrophic factors, cell replacement, the activation of endogenous stem cells, and decreased neuroinflammation. Several sources of stem cells have been proposed for transplantation and the restoration of damaged tissue. Over recent decades, intensive research has focused on gestational stem cells considered a novel resource for cell transplantation therapy. The present review provides an update on the recent preclinical/clinical applications of gestational stem cells for the treatment of protein-misfolding diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, further studies should be encouraged to translate this promising therapeutic approach into the clinical setting.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Huntington’s disease; Parkinson’s disease; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; cell transplantation therapy; gestational stem cells; neurodegenerative diseases.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Perinatal tissue-derived stem cells, which can be isolated from placenta, fetal membranes, umbilical cord, Wharton’s jelly, and amniotic fluid, can differentiate into several cell lineages, including muscle, nervous, chondrogenic, bone, and fat cells.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Strategies to overcome graft rejection in cell therapy for neurodegenerative diseases. Created in Biorender.com.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mechanisms underlying the functional benefits of MSC transplantation in the neurological field can be associated with their capacity to activate local progenitors and cell replacement, to produce neurotrophic factors, including Fibroblast growth factor (FGF), Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF), nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), enhance neuronal plasticity and the immunomodulation mediated by several factors, including Indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase (IDO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), nitric oxide (NO), transforming growth factor (TGF)-β these limitations.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Potential use of perinatal tissue-derived stem cells in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases (NDD) discussed in this review: Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington’s disease (HD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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