Urine-Derived Stem Cells: A New Class of Stem Cells in Treatment of Neurodegenerative Disorders

In addition to the critical role of stem cells in tissue regeneration and resurrect, they used in diverse disease treatment, including defective osteogenesis, brain lesion, Parkinson’s disease, heart infarction, and tendon’s fragment. Recently, a population of cells derived from urine has been discovered which exhibit some biological characteristics, including clonogenicity, cell growth patterns, expansion capacity, cell surface marker expression profile, multipotent differentiation, angiogenic paracrine effects, immune-modulatory properties. These cells can differentiate into induced pluripotent stem cells. Thus, we have termed these cells “urine-derived stem cells”. These stem cells can be obtained from humans and different animal species, such as monkeys, pigs, and rabbits. Availability and low cost make these cells attractive for cell therapy in neurological disorders.
Researches and clinical trials showed that implantation of mesenchymal stem cells, and possibly urine stem cells, may be effective in treatment of neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, Huntington's disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.