iPSC therapies applied to rehabilitation in parkinson’s disease

Abstract

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurological disorder that affects movement, mainly due to damage and degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway. The diagnosis is made through a clinical neurological analysis where motor characteristics are considered. There is still no cure, and treatment strategies are focused on symptoms control. Cell replacement therapies emerge as an alternative. Objective: This review focused on current techniques of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Methods: The search terms used were: “Parkinson’s Disease”, “Stem cells” and “iPSC”. Open articles written in English, from 2016-21 were selected in the Pubmed database, 10 publications were identified. Results: With the modernization of iPSC, it was possible to reprogram pluripotent human somatic cells and generate dopaminergic neurons and individual-specific glial cells. To understand the molecular basis, cell and animal models of neurons and organelles are currently being employed. Organoids are derived from stem cells in a three-dimensional matrix, such as matrigel or hydrogels derived from animals. The neuronal models are: α-synuclein (SNCA), leucine-rich repeat kinase2 (LRRK2), PARK2, putative kinase1 induced by phosphatase and tensin homolog (PINK1), DJ-1. Both models offer opportunities to investigate pathogenic mechanisms of PD and test compounds on human neurons. Conclusions: Cell replacement therapy is promising and has great capacity for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Studies using iPSC neuron and PD organoid modeling is highly valuable in elucidating relevants neuronal pathways and therapeutic targets, moreover providing important models for testing future therapies.