title: [Stem cells therapy in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis treatment. A critical view].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease. At present, there are not curative therapies for ALS. Pathogenic and progression mechanisms suggest the existence of oxidative stress, abnormal intracellular protein aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, axonal transport impairment, impairment of trophic support, altered glial cell function, and glutamate excitoxicity.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate therapeutic results with adult stem cell for ALS treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Stem cells represent a potential therapeutic strategy, because their biological mechanisms could act on several of the pathogenic mechanisms proposed for ALS. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells are especially interesting among adult stem cells. Mesenchymal stem cells can differentiate in all central nervous system cells and potentially replace them. Furthermore, they have immunomodulatory effects, secreting, especially in neuroinflammatory environments, neurotrophic and antiinflammatory factors. Studies in murine models of ALS show decrease of inflammation and disease progression, and increase on animal highly heterogeneous, suggest that mesenchymal stem cells transplant in ALS appears to be safe. However, they fail showing clinical improvement of patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Additional preclinical studies are necessary to refine this therapeutic approach, to assess long term survival and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells, dosing, biological activity and safety should be conducted before any planning further human testing occurs.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurología, Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Escuela de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Bernardita
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Soler
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fadic
authors.forename: Rommy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: von Bernhardi
mesh_terms: D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D000818:Animals; D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D016896:Treatment Outcome