Effect of Stem Cell Therapy, Tissue Regeneration, and Functional Recovery in Spinal Cord Injury Patients

Abstract

Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is an incurable devastating brain injury that can cause a permanent or partial loss of motor, sensory and autonomic function. Due to recent advancements in regenerative medicine, stem cell therapy has emerged as a potential therapeutic approach to improve tissue recovery and limb function in patients with SCI. The stem cells have the ability of self-renewal and self-differentiation, which helps to regenerate damaged cells in the nervous system and promotes the process of neuro-protection. In addition they are involved in the processes of angiogenesis, axonal regeneration and modulation of inflammatory responses, which are essential to the repair of spinal cord. The present study provides a review and summary of the recent clinical and experimental evidence regarding the role of stem cell therapy in tissue regeneration and functional recovery of patients with SCI. Recent studies have revealed that MSCs, NSCs, and iPSCs have significant positive effects on motor function and neuroplasticity as well as reducing lesion size. Therapeutic responses vary significantly, however, from low to high injury severity, appropriate time or type of therapeutic intervention and from different approaches to transplantation. In conclusion, stem cell therapy holds promise for revolutionizing the treatment of SCI, but additional clinical research is needed to establish protocols and refine long-term results.