Review
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World J Stem Cells. Oct 26, 2013; 5(4): 163-171
Published online Oct 26, 2013. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v5.i4.163
Regenerative therapy for neuronal diseases with transplantation of somatic stem cells
Hiroshi Kanno
Hiroshi Kanno, Department of Neurosurgery, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan
Author contributions: Kanno H solely contributed to this paper.
Correspondence to: Hiroshi Kanno, MD, PhD, Department of Neurosurgery School of Medicine, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan. hiroshikannomd@nifty.com
Telephone: +81-45-7872663 Fax: +81-45-7836121
Received: July 1, 2013
Revised: September 1, 2013
Accepted: October 16, 2013
Published online: October 26, 2013
Processing time: 121 Days and 17.6 Hours
Abstract

Pluripotent stem cells, which are capable of differentiating in various species of cells, are hoped to be donor cells in transplantation in regenerative medicine. Embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem cells have the potential to differentiate in approximately all species of cells. However, the proliferating ability of these cells is high and the cancer formation ability is also recognized. In addition, ethical problems exist in using ES cells. Somatic stem cells with the ability to differentiate in various species of cells have been used as donor cells for neuronal diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, spinal cord injury, Alzheimer disease, cerebral infarction and congenital neuronal diseases. Human mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow, adipose tissue, dermal tissue, umbilical cord blood and placenta are usually used for intractable neuronal diseases as somatic stem cells, while neural progenitor/stem cells and retinal progenitor/stem cells are used for a few congenital neuronal diseases and retinal degenerative disease, respectively. However, non-treated somatic stem cells seldom differentiate to neural cells in recipient neural tissue. Therefore, the contribution to neuronal regeneration using non-treated somatic stem cells has been poor and various differential trials, such as the addition of neurotrophic factors, gene transfer, peptide transfer for neuronal differentiation of somatic stem cells, have been performed. Here, the recent progress of regenerative therapies using various somatic stem cells is described.

Keywords: Somatic stem cells; Transplantation; Regenerative therapy; Neuronal disease; Neuronal differentiation

Core tip: Pluripotent stem cells, which are capable of differentiating in various species of cells, are hoped to be donor cells in transplantation in regenerative medicine. Somatic stem cells with the ability to differentiate in various species of cells have been used as donor cells for neuronal diseases, such as spinal cord injury, cerebral infarction, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis. Here, the recent progress of regenerative therapies using various somatic stem cells is described.