World journal of stem cells最新文献

Background: The therapeutic potential of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for Parkinson's disease (PD) has been demonstrated. Exercise can also modulate metabolism to improve motor dysfunction in PD patients.

Aim: To investigate the therapeutic effect of exercise combined with iPSCs in a PD mouse model and explore the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: In this study, we included 10 normal mice and 40 PD model mice, which were divided into five groups: The control group (n = 10), the sedentary PD group (St group, n = 10), the exercise PD group (E group, n = 10), the iPSC-treated PD group (T group, n = 10), and the combined exercise and iPSC-treated PD group (ET group, n = 10). The T and ET groups received cell injection therapy, while the E and ET groups underwent an 8-week exercise intervention. After the intervention, behavioral tests were performed on mice from all groups. Serum levels of epinephrine (EPI) and nerve growth factor were measured, and the expression of Wnt1, Lmx1a, and other factors related to the Wnt signaling pathway in the midbrain of mice were assessed.

Results: The motor ability of the T group was higher than that of the St group, but the difference was not significant. However, the protein and gene expression levels of Wnt1, Lmx1a, Neurog2, and TH in the T group were significantly higher than those in the St group (P < 0.01). Compared with the T group, the motor ability of the E group was significantly enhanced (P < 0.01), and the gene expression level of Wnt1 in the midbrain of the E group was significantly higher than that of the T group (P < 0.05). The levels of EPI and nerve growth factor were increased in both the E and ET groups. Exercise can improve motor dysfunction in PD, increase EPI levels, and elevate Wnt1 levels. However, western blot results revealed no significant change in the TH level of the E group, which may be because exercise does not cause a noticeable change in the number of neurons. Compared with the St group, both the E and ET groups showed improved motor function (P < 0.01). The results showed that compared with the St group, the protein and gene expression levels of Wnt1, Lmx1a, and Neurog2 were significantly increased in the E, T, and ET groups (P < 0.05). Compared with the T and E groups, the protein and gene expression levels of Wnt1, Lmx1a, and Neurog2 were significantly increased in the ET group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Exercise increases EPI levels, activates the Wnt signaling pathway through β2 receptors, enhances the Wnt1-Lmx1a regulatory loop, and promotes the differentiation of iPSCs into dopaminergic neurons, thereby increasing the number of neurons.

Pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic, fatal lung disease affecting millions worldwide, urgently needs more effective treatments. This article comments on the study by Wang et al, which proposed that human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cell-derived exosomes alleviate rats radiation induced pulmonary fibrosis. The study demonstrated that these exosomes suppressed inflammation, extracellular matrix deposition, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition by inhibition of AKT signaling in radiation-exposed alveolar epithelial cells. Despite these observations, aspects of the study merit further discussion. Most importantly, further confirmation is needed to prove that the therapeutic effect is exerted through the AKT signaling pathway. Moreover, the definitions of both mesenchymal stem cell and exosomes require further refinement, more rigorous terms should be mesenchymal stromal cell and extracellular vesicles. It seems apparent that this therapy will develop into one of great clinical value.

Neural crest-derived mesenchymal stem cells (NC-MSCs) represent a unique population with remarkable regenerative potential, owing to their embryonic origin and exceptional differentiation capacity. These cells demonstrate superior performance in neural and craniofacial tissue regeneration compared to conventional mesenchymal stem cells, with dental stem cells emerging as particularly promising candidates for clinical applications in periodontics and endodontics. Despite their therapeutic promise, adult NC-MSCs face significant challenges including donor site limitations, cellular heterogeneity, and scalability issues. Recent advances in pluripotent stem cell offer potential solutions through the generation of NC-MSCs in vitro, though safety concerns regarding tumorigenicity and long-term stability remain to be addressed through comprehensive preclinical studies. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of NC-MSC biology, highlighting their developmental origins, molecular characteristics, and current applications in regenerative medicine. We critically evaluate existing challenges and future directions, emphasizing the need for standardized protocols, improved characterization methods, and rigorous preclinical evaluation to facilitate clinical translation and therapeutic implementation.

HOX transcription factors and their cofactors, MEINOX, are critical regulators of positional identity and cellular plasticity. While their functions are essential during embryonic development, they also play key roles in maintaining adult tissue homeostasis. Dysregulation of HOX and MEINOX has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various diseases, including fibrosis and cancer. This review explores the contributions of HOX and MEINOX to dedifferentiation and cellular reprogramming, processes that drive fibrotic disease onset and cancer progression. It also addresses their role in extracellular matrix remodeling in these conditions. Particular attention is given to their involvement in epithelial-mesenchymal transition, where altered HOX and MEINOX expression promotes phenotypic plasticity, cancer invasiveness, and fibrotic tissue remodeling. By integrating these perspectives, this review underscores the significance of HOX-MEINOX dysregulation and altered positional identity in disease progression. Targeting this dysregulation may offer innovative strategies to modulate epithelial-mesenchymal transition and extracellular matrix dynamics, presenting new therapeutic opportunities for combating fibrosis and cancer.

Young women's physical and mental health is seriously impacted by recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA), a prevalent obstetric complication that is becoming more commonplace worldwide. Therefore, a thorough investigation into the pathophysiology of RSA and the development of novel therapeutic strategies are imperative. Recent developments suggest that mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapies may be viable for addressing RSA. Through a variety of mechanisms, the immunological circumstances at the maternal-fetal contact can be altered, including regulating immune cell homeostasis, enhancing immune tolerance, alleviating inflammatory responses, promoting angiogenic processes, and promoting tissue regeneration. MSCs exhibit a remarkable capacity for multi-differentiation that could enhance pregnancy outcomes. This article provides compelling studies supporting the efficacy of MSC-based therapies in improving pregnancy outcomes in women with RSA.

This study by Zhang et al elucidates the role of exosome miR-137-3p targeting ubiquitin protein ligase E3C to activate signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 under hypoxia conditions, thereby promoting the migration and differentiation of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells to endometrial epithelial cells. It emphasizes that exosomal miR-137-3p/ubiquitin protein ligase E3C/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 axis is a promising pathway for endometrial regeneration. This article introduced the therapeutic potential of exosomal microRNAs in regenerative medicine while underscoring the need for standardized protocols in optimizing exosome delivery and validating molecular pathways for clinical translation.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), consisting primarily of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. The pathogenesis of IBD has been thoroughly studied throughout the past few decades, such as defective gut epithelial barrier, immune responses, genetic predisposition, infections, and dysbiosis. Recent studies have revealed the unexpected importance of intestinal stem cells (ISCs) in the pathophysiology of IBD. The rapid recovery and continuous self-renewal of intestinal epithelial cells depend on ISCs within the crypts. Proliferation and differentiation of ISCs is an important cytological basis for repairing damaged intestinal mucosa. Unfortunately, as a new therapeutic goal in IBD, mucosal healing is difficult to achieve with current treatments. Stem cell therapy is an emerging treatment for IBD that allows mucosal healing by rebuilding the mucosal barrier. In this review, we present the current research progress on the role of ISCs in IBD and discuss stem cell-based therapies that have been specifically designed for its treatment.

Stem cell therapy holds great promise for the regeneration and repair of damaged tissues and organs. Stem cell therapy has been successfully applied to treat diseases that cannot be cured with conventional medicine. A careful evaluation of the outcomes is required for successful implementation of stem cell therapy. Recently, artificial intelligence (AI) has opened new avenues for research in the stem cell therapy field. The integration of AI can assist in evaluating the quality, efficiency and safety of stem cells by analyzing available data. It has the potential to improve and accelerate progress in various aspects of stem cell research and therapeutic applications. AI is still in its infancy and has certain limitations, such as algorithm validation problems, inadequate data availability, poor data quality, and ethical considerations. Considering the potential of AI to improve stem cell research and therapeutics, this review aims to explore applications of AI in understanding stem cell behavior, identification and characterization, optimization of the delivery methods, stem cell modeling and prediction of mortality risk. In addition, this review highlights the role of AI, machine learning, deep learning, and other subtypes in advancing stem cell biology research. This review also discusses the current limitations, ethical considerations, and future prospective of use of AI in stem cell research and therapeutic applications.