HISTOLOGY AND HISTOPATHOLOGY

Cellular and Molecular Biology

 

Review

The application of stem cells in the treatment of ischemic diseases

C.P. Chen1,2, Y.J. Lee3, S.T. Chiu4,5, W.C. Shyu6, M.Y. Lee2, S.P. Huang7 and H. Li8

1Division of High Risk Pregnancy, and 2Department of Medical Research, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, 3School of Medicine, Fu-Jen Catholic University, Hsinchuang, Taipei, Taiwan 4Department of Emergency Medicine, Buddhist Tzu-Chi General Hospital, Taipei Branch, and 5Tzu-Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan, 6Neuro-Medical Scientific Center, Buddhist Tzu-Chi General Hospital, Tzu-Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan, 7Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, MO, USA and 8Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan

Offprint requests to: Dr. Hung Li, Ph.D., Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan. e-mail: hungli@ccvax.sinica.edu.tw


Summary. Ischemia causes oxygen deprivation, cell injury and related organ dysfunction. Although ischemic injury may be local, it involves many biochemical changes in different cell types. The ability of stem cells to differentiate into different cell lineages provides the possibility of their use in treating a variety of diseases requiring tissue repair or reconstitution, such as stroke, ischemic retinopathy, myocardial infarction, ischemic disorders of the liver, ischemic renal failure, and ischemic limb dysfunction. Several cell types including embryonic stem cells, various progenitor and stem cells of hematopoietic or mesenchymal origin have been used in attempts to reconstitute injured tissue. Xenologous or autologous stem cells may be administered either through the peripheral vascular system or directly by regional injection. The stem cells are then guided to the infarct site by homing signals. Either by cell differentiation or paracrine effects, stem cells or progenitor cells participate in the reconstruction of a favorable microenvironment resulting in neovascularization and tissue regeneration that eventually improve the physiological function of organs with ischemic damage. Histol Histopathol 21, 1209-1216 (2006)

Key words: Stem cells, Ischemic diseases

DOI: 10.14670/HH-21.1209