Transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells: a future therapy for Parkinson’s disease?

ABSTRACT:  Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common, progressive neurodegenerative disorder associated with a loss of dopaminergic cells in the substantia nigra pars compacta and a lack of dopamine in the striatum. To halt or reverse this disease, neurorestorative approaches or neuroprotective treatments are urgently needed. Recently, the first clinical trials transplanting mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been performed in PD. MSCs are adult stem cells abundant in several tissues, such as the umbilical cord, the bone marrow, the adipose tissue and other tissues. These cells are multipotent, and able to synthesize and secrete a wide spectrum of biologically active factors. MSCs of various origins have been explored as possible substrates for cell therapy in PD animal models. In this review, we summarize MSC-based experimental transplantation studies in PD, and discuss biological mechanisms that may explain the effects of MSC seen in PD models. Furthermore, we critically evaluate the recent clinical transpla...