Abstract
Cell therapy of neurological diseases is gaining momentum. Various types of stem/progenitor cells and their derivatives have shown positive therapeutic results in animal models of neurological disorders and in clinical trials. Each tested cell type proved to have its advantages and flaws and unique cellular and molecular mechanism of action, prompting the idea to test combined transplantation of two or more types of cells (combined cell therapy). This review summarizes the results of combined cell therapy of neurological pathologies reported up to this point. The number of papers describing experimental studies or clinical trials addressing this subject is still limited. However, its successful application to the treatment of neurological pathologies including stroke, spinal cord injury, neurodegenerative diseases, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and retinal degeneration has been reported in both experimental and clinical studies. The advantages of combined cell therapy can be realized by simple summation of beneficial effects of different cells. Alternatively, one kind of cells can support the survival and functioning of the other by enhancing the formation of optimum environment or immunomodulation. No significant adverse events were reported. Combined cell therapy is a promising approach for the treatment of neurological disorders, but further research needs to be conducted.
Highlights
Diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system affect millions of people and constitute one of the major causes of death and disability worldwide
The patients who were treated with the combination of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) intravenously and neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPC) together with MSC delivered through the cerebellomedullary cistern demonstrated superior improvements compared to the patients who received intravenous infusions of MSC only as evidenced by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), the Barthel index (BI), and the modified
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a damage of the spinal cord that leads to disorganization of sensory, motor, and autonomic function, affects patient’s physical and psychological condition, impairs quality of life and limits social independence [27]
Summary
Diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system affect millions of people and constitute one of the major causes of death and disability worldwide. The accumulated evidence concerning the effects of various cell types and the underlying mechanisms of action supports the idea to test combined transplantation of several stem/progenitor cell species in order to obtain synergic effect and to increase the efficacy of therapy. This approach is rapidly developing, though the number of papers on this subject is still limited. We summarized the available results and analyzed the advantages of combined cell therapy of the mentioned neurological pathologies in animal studies and first clinical trials
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