Stem cells offer an enormous pool of resources for the understanding of the human body. One proposed use of stem cells has been as an autologous therapy. The use of stem cells for neurodegenerative diseases has become of interest. Clinical applications of stem cells for Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and multiple sclerosis will increase in the coming years, and although great care will need to be taken when moving forward with prospective treatments, the application of stem cells is highly promising.
The amyloid precursor protein (APP) has been mainly studied in its role in the production of amyloid β peptides (Aβ), because Aβ deposition is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Although several studies suggest APP has physiological functions, it is still controversial. We previously reported that APP increased glial differentiation of neural progenitor cells (NPCs). In the current study, NPCs transplanted into APP23 transgenic mice primarily differentiated into glial cells.
The use of stem cells for neuroreplacement therapy is no longer science fiction -it is science fact. We have succeeded in producing neural cells in the brain using both neural and mesenchymal stem cell transplantation and even systemic injection using a small molecular compound. We have seen the improvement of cognitive function in animal models following the application of these stem cell technologies. These results may promise a bright future for stem cell based neuroreplacement therapies for neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, we have to consider the pathophysiological environments of individual diseases before clinical applications can be introduced. We must find the factors in the pathology that may affect stem cell biology and overcome the negative effects on neuroreplacement. Here, we discuss not only the potential for therapeutic applications of stem cell strategies in neuropathological conditions, but also how to overcome the adverse effects on the biology of stem cells due to the factors that are altered under AD pathology.
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