Stem Cell Therapy ‒ Approach for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment

Context: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS). In MS, activated T-cells for self-antigens, such as myelin, attack erroneous targets in the CNS and result in axonal demyelination and neurological disability. Stem cell (SC) therapy has potential applications in treating neurological disorders.Evidence Acquisition: The reasoning for use of SCs from different sources, as a therapeutic option in MS, arose from the expectation that they have the capacity to remyelinate and differentiate into oligodendrocyte precursor cells. Many SC types are under testing for treating MS and, the most common, are neural SC (NSC), embryonic SC (ESC), mesenchymal SC (MSC) and hematopoietic SC (HSC). The NSCs, namely adult NSCs, bone marrow-derived-NSCs and neural progenitor cells, are capable of differentiation into oligodendrocytes and induce remyelination. The MSCs influence on the rate of repair of all endogenous progenitors. The autologous HSC transplantation is an option in cases that do not respond to standard therapy and also meliorate the symptoms and limit progression of disease. The ESCs have shown neuroprotection in cases of MS, through a yet unclear immunosuppression mechanism. Recently, cell transplantation has introduced a novel approach for treatment of neurological disorders, such as MS. Therefore, focusing on safety issues, while bridging from the basic SC sciences to the clinical transplantation trials, has a crucial role in cellular therapy programs. This review will discuss in detail the experimental and clinical use of these SC populations and their probably mechanisms in the treatment of multiple sclerosis.