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Review
. 2025 Feb 23;16(1):85.
doi: 10.1186/s13287-025-04178-9.

Circadian rhythms in stem cells and their therapeutic potential

Napasiri Putthanbut  1   2 , Paul Alexis Bourgade Su  1   3 , Jea-Young Lee  1 , Cesario V Borlongan  4
Affiliations
Review

Circadian rhythms in stem cells and their therapeutic potential

Napasiri Putthanbut et al. Stem Cell Res Ther. .

Abstract

Circadian rhythms are present in almost all cells, but their existence in stem cells has remains not well established. Circadian clock appears to be closely associated with differentiated mature cells and rarely detected in immature embryonic stem cells. Recent evidence reveals the presence of circadian genes and rhythmic physiologic activities in stem cells as well as stem cell-derived extracellular vesicle (EV) characteristics. The circadian clock entails diverse physiologic and pathological mechanisms underlying cell fate. Integration of circadian rhythm to clinical applications, such as chronotherapy, chrono-biomarker, and environment modification, may facilitate therapeutic outcomes of stem cell-based regenerative medicine. Understanding circadian rhythms in stem cells can optimize stem cell-based therapies by determining the best times for harvesting and administering stem cells, thereby enhancing therapeutic efficacy. Further research into the circadian properties of stem cells will refine stem cell-based therapies, contributing to advancements in regenerative medicine.

Keywords: Biological clock; Neurological disorders; Stem cell therapy; Synchronization.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Circadian clock in stem cells. Recent evidence increasingly supports the presence of circadian rhythms in stem cells. The application of circadian synchronizers, such as dexamethasone and forskolin, has been shown to stimulate and enhance these oscillations
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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