Adult stem cells in psychiatric disorders – New discoveries in peripheral blood

ATP-Nlrp3 Inflammasome-Complement Cascade Axis in Sterile Brain Inflammation in Psychiatric Patients and its Impact on Stem Cell Trafficking

“…It has been reported that the numbers of circulating leucocytes and monocytes increase in peripheral blood during exacerbation of psychotic symptoms [8][9][10]. This supports the presence of inflammation and helps to explain this phenomenon since both IL-1β and IL-18 and ComC cleavage fragments are known to be able to increase the number of circulating leucocytes and stem cells in the blood (Fig.…”

“…3 that ComC cleavage fragments contribute to sterile inflammation of the brain and thus play an important role in psychotic disorders [8-10, 37, 38]. To support this notion, our group demonstrated increased concentrations of C3a and C5a anaphylatoxins in peripheral blood in 30 patients suffering from bipolar disorder for at least 10 years, who were not treated with lithium salts as compared to healthy age and sex matched controls [10]. This suggests involvement of the ComC in the pathogenesis of bipolar disorder, and provides further evidence for immune system dysregulation in these patients.…”

“…Based on this we will provide supporting evidence that the occurrence of psychiatric disorders is linked to the presence of sterile inflammation induced primarily in the brain tissue or as result of systemic inflammation process in other organs that may affect the central nervous system [5][6][7]. It is well known that patients suffering from mental disorders often exhibit inflammation-related abnormalities in the peripheral blood, including elevated levels of circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, increased numbers of circulating monocytes and neutrophils, as well as enhanced reactivity of microglia, astrocytes, and brain endothelial cells to various pro-inflammatory signals [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14].…”

Stem cells and mechanisms regulating their trafficking – a new and challenging area of investigation in modern psychiatry

“…In addition to HSCs, other types of stem cells that circulate in PB may play a similar pro-regenerative role. As presented in the paper by Dr. Samochowiec’s group (Kucharska-Mazur et al, 2017), an increase in the number of certain types of stem cells circulating in PB and factors that regulate their trafficking, such as SDF-1, S1P, and activation of the ComC, is observed in certain psychiatric disorders. Despite the fact that the role of postnatal brain neurogenesis and remodeling has been studied for decades, recent observations showing changes in stem cell trafficking in PB make it possible to shed new light on the processes of neuroregeneration and neurodegeneration.…”

“…In the following paper Dr. Samochowiec and coworkers (Kucharska-Mazur et al, 2017) summarize their work on the circulation of stem cells in peripheral blood (PB) and selected parameters regulating this phenomenon in patients with psychiatric and anxiety disorders. It is well known that stem cells are endowed with migratory potential and that they migrate during embryonic development and organogenesis.…”