Amniotic Epithelial Cells: A New Tool to Combat Aging and Age-Related Diseases?

Clara Di Germanio,Michel Bernier,Rafael De Cabo,Barbara Barboni

doi:10.3389/fcell.2016.00135

Clara Di Germanio, Michel Bernier + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2016.00135

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Abstract

The number of elderly people is growing at an unprecedented rate and this increase of the aging population is expected to have a direct impact on the incidence of age-related diseases and healthcare-associated costs. Thus, it is imperative that new tools are developed to fight and slow age-related diseases. Regenerative medicine is a promising strategy for the maintenance of health and function late in life; however, stem cell-based therapies face several challenges including rejection and tumor transformation. As an alternative, the placenta offers an extraordinary source of fetal stem cells, including the amniotic epithelial cells (AECs), which retain some of the characteristics of embryonic stem cells, but show low immunogenicity, together with immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activities. Because of these characteristics, AECs have been widely utilized in regenerative medicine. This perspective highlights different mechanisms triggered by transplanted AECs that could be potentially useful for anti-aging therapies, which include: Graft and differentiation for tissue regeneration in age-related settings, anti-inflammatory behavior to combat “inflammaging,” anti-tumor activity, direct lifespan and healthspan extension properties, and possibly rejuvenation in a manner reminiscent of heterochronic parabiosis. Here, we critically discuss benefits and limitation of AECs-based therapies in age-related diseases.

Highlights

Among the health challenges of this century, aging itself represents one of the main risk factor for diseases (Niccoli and Partridge, 2012)
A large amount of preclinical studies has confirmed that fetal stem cells are the ideal candidates for transplantation and organ repair (Silini et al, 2015) because they are non-tumorigenic after transplantation (Akle et al, 1981)
We recently reported that the blockade of senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) by amniotic epithelial cells (AECs)-derived conditioned medium delays the onset of senescence in cultured fibroblasts (Di Germanio et al, 2016), consistent with the idea that extrinsic environmental factors can influence cell behavior

Summary

Introduction

Among the health challenges of this century, aging itself represents one of the main risk factor for diseases (Niccoli and Partridge, 2012). Amniotic Cells As Anti-Aging Therapy has already been tested for different diseases in preclinical settings; more recently, a few studies have tested their potential in fighting age-associated disorders in animal models.

Results

Conclusion