Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Stem Cells. Apr 26, 2015; 7(3): 618-629
Published online Apr 26, 2015. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v7.i3.618
Stem cell therapy in intracerebral hemorrhage rat model
Marcos F Cordeiro, Ana P Horn
Marcos F Cordeiro, Ana P Horn, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Fisiológicas-Fisiologia Animal Comparada, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande RS 96210-900, Brazil
Marcos F Cordeiro, Ana P Horn, Laboratório de Histologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande RS 96210-900, Brazil
Marcos F Cordeiro, Ana P Horn, Laboratório de Neurociências, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande RS 96210-900, Brazil
Author contributions: Cordeiro MF and Horn AP contributed to this paper.
Conflict-of-interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Marcos F Cordeiro, BSc, Laboratório de Histologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Av Itália, Km 8, Rio Grande RS 96210-900, Brazil. cordeiromf@yandex.com
Telephone: +55-53-32935182 Fax: +55-53-32936848
Received: July 29, 2014
Peer-review started: July 29, 2014
First decision: November 18, 2014
Revised: December 5, 2014
Accepted: December 18, 2014
Article in press: December 19, 2014
Published online: April 26, 2015
Processing time: 268 Days and 6.9 Hours
Abstract

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a very complex pathology, with many different not fully elucidated etiologies and prognostics. It is the most severe subtype of stroke, with high mortality and morbidity rates. Unfortunately, despite the numerous promising preclinical assays including neuroprotective, anti-hypertensive, and anti-inflammatory drugs, to this moment only symptomatic treatments are available, motivating the search for new alternatives. In this context, stem cell therapy emerged as a promising tool. However, more than a decade has passed, and there is still much to be learned not only about stem cells, but also about ICH itself, and how these two pieces come together. To date, rats have been the most widely used animal model in this research field, and there is much more to be learned from and about them. In this review, we first summarize ICH epidemiology, risk factors, and pathophysiology. We then present different methods utilized to induce ICH in rats, and examine how accurately they represent the human disease. Next, we discuss the different types of stem cells used in previous ICH studies, also taking into account the tested transplantation sites. Finally, we summarize what has been achieved in assays with stem cells in rat models of ICH, and point out some relevant issues where attention must be given in future efforts.

Keywords: Cell therapy; Intracerebral hemorrhage; Preclinical assays; Rat; Stem cells

Core tip: In this review, we first summarize intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) epidemiology, risk factors, and pathophysiology. We then present different methods utilized to induce ICH in rats, and examine how accurately they represent the human disease. Next, we discuss the different types of stem cells used in previous ICH studies, also taking into account the tested transplantation sites. Finally, we summarize what has been achieved in assays with stem cells in rat models of ICH, and point out some relevant issues where attention must be given in future efforts.