title: Menstrual blood transplantation for ischemic stroke: Therapeutic mechanisms and practical issues.
abstract: Cerebrovascular diseases are a major cause of death and long-term disability in developed countries. Tissue plasmin activator (tPA) is the only approved therapy for ischemic stroke, strongly limited by the short therapeutic window and hemorrhagic complications, therefore excluding most patients from its benefits. The rescue of the penumbra area of the ischemic infarct is decisive for functional recovery after stroke. Inflammation is a key feature in the penumbra area and it plays a dual role, improving injury in early phases but impairing neural survival at later stages. Stem cells can be opportunely used to modulate inflammation, abrogate cell death and, therefore, preserve neural function. We here discuss the possible role of stem cells derived from menstrual blood as restorative treatment for stroke. We highlight the availability, proliferative capacity, pluripotentiality and angiogenic features of these cells and explore their present and future experimental and clinical applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, University of South Florida, College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA ; Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Carolina O
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, University of South Florida, College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Dmitriy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dmitriev
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, University of South Florida, College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA ; Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, University of South Florida, College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Loren E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Glover
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, University of South Florida, College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Sanberg
authors.affiliation: Cryo-Cell International, Inc., Tampa, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Julie G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Allickson
authors.affiliation: Saneron-CCEL Therapeutics Inc., Tampa, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kuzmin-Nichols
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, University of South Florida, College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tajiri
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, University of South Florida, College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Kazutaka
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shinozuka
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, University of South Florida, College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Svitlana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Garbuzova-Davis
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, University of South Florida, College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, University of South Florida, College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Cesar V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Borlongan
keywords: cell-based therapy; endometrium-derived stem cells; menstrual blood stem cells; penumbra area; restorative treatment; stroke