Cell therapy for ischemic stroke with bone marrow stromal cells

In this article, the authors review recent advancements and perspective on cell therapy for ischemic stroke with bone marrow-derived cells, including bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) and multilineage-differentiating stress-enduring (Muse) cells. They can be easily isolated from the patients themselves and transplanted into them without any ethical and immunological problem. Animal experiments have shown that direct transplantation of these adult stem cells significantly enhances the recovery of motor function in various types of neurological disorders, including ischemic stroke. They aggressively migrate toward the damaged tissue and proliferate in the host brain. The BMSCs may contain heterogeneous subpopulations and contribute to functional recovery through multiple mechanisms, including neuroprotection, inflammatory modulation, cell fusion, and neural differentiation. On the other hands, Muse cells may promote functional recovery after ischemic stroke by reorganizing the infarct brain.