title: Toward personalized cell therapies: autologous menstrual blood cells for stroke.
abstract: Cell therapy has been established as an important field of research with considerable progress in the last years. At the same time, the progressive aging of the population has highlighted the importance of discovering therapeutic alternatives for diseases of high incidence and disability, such as stroke. Menstrual blood is a recently discovered source of stem cells with potential relevance for the treatment of stroke. Migration to the infarct site, modulation of the inflammatory reaction, secretion of neurotrophic factors, and possible differentiation warrant these cells as therapeutic tools. We here propose the use of autologous menstrual blood cells in the restorative treatment of the subacute phase of stroke. We highlight the availability, proliferative capacity, pluripotency, and angiogenic features of these cells and explore their mechanistic pathways of repair. Practical aspects of clinical application of menstrual blood cells for stroke will be discussed, from cell harvesting and cryopreservation to administration to the patient.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, University of South Florida College of Medicine, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Tampa, FL 33612, USA. mcarolor@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Maria Carolina O
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: Loren E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Glover
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Weinbren
authors.forename: Jessica A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rizzi
authors.forename: Hiroto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Kazutaka
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shinozuka
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tajiri
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Sanberg
authors.forename: Julie G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Allickson
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kuzmin-Nichols
authors.forename: Svitlana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Garbuzova-Davis
authors.forename: Julio Cesar
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Voltarelli
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.forename: Cesar V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Borlongan
mesh_terms: D001773:Blood Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000637:transplantation*; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods; D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D008598:Menstruation / Q000097:blood*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000628:therapy*; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous