Recent advances in stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s Disease: A Review

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a degenerative neurological condition characterized by tremor, bradykinesia, and stiffness as cardinal motor characteristics. It's linked to a long-term loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), resulting in a severe DA shortage in the striatum, which is necessary for motor function. There is presently no cure for Parkinson's disease, and the majority of treatments aimed at reversing dopamine depletion and alleviating symptoms. The transplantation of stem cells or stem cell derived progenitors has highlighted the potential of employing cell-based therapy to replace lost cells in the sick brain, based on promising findings from early experiments. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are highly expandable and pluripotent cells that can differentiate into any cell type in the human body, including nervous system tissues, suggesting that they could provide a long-term treatment for Parkinson's disease and other neurological illnesses. However, because of the potential for safety and ethical difficulties involved with the use of undifferentiated ESCs in people, other sources of transplantable cells must be considered. Another method is to use external manipulation to stimulate endogenous stem cells to heal the brain. Recent advances in stem cell research in Parkinson's disease will be discussed in this review, which will provide an overview of the various sources and strategies such as the use of different stem cell populations for cell replacement and possible modulation of endogenous stem cells, that have the potential to provide effective cell-based therapy in the future.