Treatment Strategy for Parkinsonian Diseases Through Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Parkinsonian diseases including Parkinson’s disease (PD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA) are neurodegenerative diseases representative of α-synucleinopathies characterized pathologically by α-synuclein-abundant Lewy bodies and glial cytoplasmic inclusions, respectively. Cell therapy using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is attractive clinically because these cells are free from ethical and immunological problems. MSCs are present in adult bone marrow and represent < 0.01% of all nucleated bone marrow cells. MSCs are multipotent, and differentiation under appropriate conditions into chondrocytes, skeletal myocytes, and neurons has been demonstrated thus far. According to recent studies, the neuroprotective effect of MSCs is mediated by the production of various trophic factors that contribute to functional recovery, neuronal cell survival, and endogenous regeneration of neural tissues. Additionally, MSCs appear to have immunoregulatory properties that can ameliorate the progression of disease. However, the therapeutic use of MSCs as neuroprotectives in PD and MSA has seldom been studied. Here we comprehensively review recent advances in clinical strategies using MSCs in PD and MSA, especially focusing on their neuroprotective properties in preventing or delaying disease progression and therapeutic potential for providing functional recovery.