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New Advances in Neural Therapeutic Application of Mesenchymal Stem Cells

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2025 | Viewed by 1715

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Enna “Kore”, 94100 Enna, Italy
Interests: adipose-derived stem cells; neural differentiation; conditioned media; schwann cells; olfactory ensheathing cells
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Physiology, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 97, 95123 Catania, Italy
Interests: mesenchymal stem cells; cell differentiation; intercellular communication
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can differentiate into endodermal and ectodermal cells, including neurons and glial cells. For this reason, MSCs can be suitable for cell-based therapeutic strategies, especially in pathologies where pharmacological treatments give poor results. MSCs may be useful in the case of central nervous system injury (e.g., stroke, spinal cord injury) and irreversible neurological disorders (e.g., Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease) characterized by progressive neuronal death, in which behavioral and cognitive functions of patients inexorably decline as the disease progresses.

This Special Issue entitled “New Advances in Neural Therapeutic Application of Mesenchymal Stem Cells” focuses on the possible roles of MSCs for the treatment of disabling neurodegenerative disorders or central nervous system injury.

Mechanisms of MSC-induced beneficial effects include neurogenesis and angiogenesis stimulation and immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic actions. Moreover, the paracrine release of neurotrophic factors and cytokines, mainly delivered at damaged regions, may help to restore tissue homeostasis.

This Special Issue welcomes bioinformatic analyses, review articles, and original data focusing on the use of MSCs in cell-replacement therapies aimed at restoring disease-disrupted brain circuitry.

Dr. Giuliana Mannino
Dr. Debora Lo Furno
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • mesenchymal stem cells
  • neural differentiation
  • nervous system injury
  • neurological diseases
  • regenerative medicine

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 48075 KiB  
Article
Melatonin Enhances Neural Differentiation of Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells
by Ivana Roberta Romano, Floriana D’Angeli, Elisa Gili, Mary Fruciano, Giuseppe Angelo Giovanni Lombardo, Giuliana Mannino, Nunzio Vicario, Cristina Russo, Rosalba Parenti, Carlo Vancheri, Rosario Giuffrida, Rosalia Pellitteri and Debora Lo Furno
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(9), 4891; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25094891 - 30 Apr 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1260
Abstract
Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) are adult multipotent stem cells, able to differentiate toward neural elements other than cells of mesodermal lineage. The aim of this research was to test ASC neural differentiation using melatonin combined with conditioned media (CM) from glial cells. [...] Read more.
Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) are adult multipotent stem cells, able to differentiate toward neural elements other than cells of mesodermal lineage. The aim of this research was to test ASC neural differentiation using melatonin combined with conditioned media (CM) from glial cells. Isolated from the lipoaspirate of healthy donors, ASCs were expanded in a basal growth medium before undergoing neural differentiation procedures. For this purpose, CM obtained from olfactory ensheathing cells and from Schwann cells were used. In some samples, 1 µM of melatonin was added. After 1 and 7 days of culture, cells were studied using immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry to evaluate neural marker expression (Nestin, MAP2, Synapsin I, GFAP) under different conditions. The results confirmed that a successful neural differentiation was achieved by glial CM, whereas the addition of melatonin alone did not induce appreciable changes. When melatonin was combined with CM, ASC neural differentiation was enhanced, as demonstrated by a further improvement of neuronal marker expression, whereas glial differentiation was attenuated. A dynamic modulation was also observed, testing the expression of melatonin receptors. In conclusion, our data suggest that melatonin’s neurogenic differentiation ability can be usefully exploited to obtain neuronal-like differentiated ASCs for potential therapeutic strategies. Full article
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