Stem cell repair strategies for epilepsy.

IF 5.9 2区 医学 Q2 CELL BIOLOGY
Neural Regeneration Research Pub Date : 2026-04-01 Epub Date: 2025-06-19 DOI:10.4103/NRR.NRR-D-24-01337
Xiao Ma, Zitong Wang, Yinuo Niu, Jie Zhao, Xiaorui Wang, Xuan Wang, Fang Yang, Dong Wei, Zhongqing Sun, Wen Jiang
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Epilepsy is a serious neurological disorder; however, the effectiveness of current medications is often suboptimal. Recently, stem cell technology has demonstrated remarkable therapeutic potential in addressing various neurological diseases, igniting interest in its applicability for epilepsy treatment. This comprehensive review summarizes different therapeutic approaches utilizing various types of stem cells. Preclinical experiments have explored the use and potential therapeutic effects of mesenchymal stem cells, including genetically modified variants. Clinical trials involving patient-derived mesenchymal stem cells have shown promising results, with reductions in the frequency of epileptic seizures and improvements in neurological, cognitive, and motor functions reported. Another promising therapeutic strategy involves neural stem cells. These cells can be cultured outside the body and directed to differentiate into specific cell types. The transplant of neural stem cells has the potential to replace lost inhibitory interneurons, providing a novel treatment avenue for epilepsy. Embryonic stem cells are characterized by their significant capacity for self-renewal and their ability to differentiate into any type of somatic cell. In epilepsy treatment, embryonic stem cells can serve three primary functions: neuron regeneration, the maintenance of cellular homeostasis, and restorative activity. One notable strategy involves differentiating embryonic stem cells into γ-aminobutyric acidergic neurons for transplantation into lesion sites. This approach is currently undergoing clinical trials and could be a breakthrough in the treatment of refractory epilepsy. Induced pluripotent stem cells share the same genetic background as the donor, thereby reducing the risk of immune rejection and addressing ethical concerns. However, research on induced pluripotent stem cell therapy remains in the preclinical stage. Despite the promise of stem cell therapies for epilepsy, several limitations must be addressed. Safety concerns persist, including issues such as tumor formation, and the low survival rate of transplanted cells remains a significant challenge. Additionally, the high cost of these treatments may be prohibitive for some patients. In summary, stem cell therapy shows considerable promise in managing epilepsy, but further research is needed to overcome its existing limitations and enhance its clinical applicability.

癫痫的干细胞修复策略。
摘要:癫痫是一种严重的神经系统疾病;然而,目前的药物治疗效果往往不够理想。最近,干细胞技术在治疗各种神经系统疾病方面显示出显著的治疗潜力,引起了人们对其在癫痫治疗中的适用性的兴趣。这篇综合综述总结了利用不同类型干细胞的不同治疗方法。临床前实验已经探索了间充质干细胞的使用和潜在的治疗效果,包括转基因变异。涉及患者源性间充质干细胞的临床试验显示出有希望的结果,癫痫发作频率降低,神经、认知和运动功能改善。另一种有希望的治疗策略涉及神经干细胞。这些细胞可以在体外培养并分化成特定的细胞类型。神经干细胞的移植有可能取代失去的抑制性中间神经元,为癫痫的治疗提供了新的途径。胚胎干细胞具有显著的自我更新能力和分化成任何类型体细胞的能力。在癫痫治疗中,胚胎干细胞具有三个主要功能:神经元再生、维持细胞稳态和恢复活性。一个值得注意的策略是将胚胎干细胞分化成γ-氨基丁酸能神经元,然后移植到病变部位。这种方法目前正在进行临床试验,可能是治疗难治性癫痫的一个突破。诱导多能干细胞与供体具有相同的遗传背景,因此减少了免疫排斥的风险并解决了伦理问题。然而,诱导多能干细胞治疗的研究仍处于临床前阶段。尽管干细胞治疗癫痫有希望,但必须解决几个限制。安全性问题仍然存在,包括肿瘤形成等问题,移植细胞的低存活率仍然是一个重大挑战。此外,这些治疗的高昂费用可能会让一些患者望而却步。总之,干细胞疗法在治疗癫痫方面显示出相当大的前景,但需要进一步的研究来克服其现有的局限性并提高其临床适用性。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Neural Regeneration Research
Neural Regeneration Research CELL BIOLOGY-NEUROSCIENCES
CiteScore
8.00
自引率
9.80%
发文量
515
审稿时长
1.0 months
期刊介绍: Neural Regeneration Research (NRR) is the Open Access journal specializing in neural regeneration and indexed by SCI-E and PubMed. The journal is committed to publishing articles on basic pathobiology of injury, repair and protection to the nervous system, while considering preclinical and clinical trials targeted at improving traumatically injuried patients and patients with neurodegenerative diseases.
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