Regenerative medicine using adult neural stem cells: the potential for diabetes therapy and other pharmaceutical applications

Neural stem cells (NSCs), which are responsible for continuous neurogenesis during the adult stage, are present in human adults. The typical neurogenic regions are the hippocampus and the subventricular zone; recent studies have revealed that NSCs also exist in the olfactory bulb. Olfactory bulb-derived neural stem cells (OB NSCs) have the potential to be used in therapeutic applications and can be easily harvested without harm to the patient. Through the combined influence of extrinsic cues and innate programming, adult neurogenesis is a finely regulated process occurring in a specialized cellular environment, a niche. Understanding the regulatory mechanisms of adult NSCs and their cellular niche is not only important to understand the physiological roles of neurogenesis in adulthood, but also to provide the knowledge necessary for developing new therapeutic applications using adult NSCs in other organs with similar regulatory environments. Diabetes is a devastating disease affecting more than 200 million people worldwide. Numerous diabetic patients suffer increased symptom severity after the onset, involving complications such as retinopathy and nephropathy. Therefore, the development of treatments for fundamental diabetes is important. The utilization of autologous cells from patients with diabetes may address challenges regarding the compatibility of donor tissues as well as provide the means to naturally and safely restore function, reducing future risks while also providing a long-term cure. Here, we review recent findings regarding the use of adult OB NSCs as a potential diabetes cure, and discuss the potential of OB NSC-based pharmaceutical applications for neuronal diseases and mental disorders.