title: Neuronal differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells and their transplantation for cerebral ischemia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review published data on the biological characteristics, differentiation and applications of adipose-derived stem cells in ischemic diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  A computer-based online search of reports published from January 2005 to June 2012 related to the development of adipose-derived stem cells and their transplantation for treatment of cerebral ischemia was performed in Web of Science using the key words "adipose-derived stem cells", "neural-like cells", "transplantation", "stroke", and "cerebral ischemia".
  
  
  METHODS
  The documents associated with the development of adipose-derived stem cells and their transplantation for treatment of cerebral ischemia were selected, and those published in the last 3-5 years or in authoritative journals were preferred in the same field. Totally 89 articles were obtained in the initial retrieval, of which 53 were chosen based on the inclusion criteria.
  
  
  METHODS
  Biological characteristics and induced differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells and cell transplantation for disease treatment as well as the underlying mechanism of clinical application.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The advantages of adipose-derived stem cells include their ease of procurement, wide availability, rapid expansion, low tumorigenesis, low immunogenicity, and absence of ethical constraints. Preclinical experiments have demonstrated that transplanted adipose-derived stem cells can improve neurological functions, reduce small regions of cerebral infarction, promote angiogenesis, and express neuron-specific markers. The improvement of neurological functions was demonstrated in experiments using different methods and time courses of adipose-derived stem cell transplantation, but the mechanisms remain unclear.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further research into the treatment of ischemic disease by adipose-derived stem cell transplantation is needed to determine their mechanism of action.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Shenyang First People's Hospital, Shenyang 110041, Liaoning Province, China.
authors.forename: Guoping
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Shenyang First People's Hospital, Shenyang 110041, Liaoning Province, China.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Shenyang First People's Hospital, Shenyang 110041, Liaoning Province, China.
authors.forename: Jing'e
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Shenyang First People's Hospital, Shenyang 110041, Liaoning Province, China.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Shenyang First People's Hospital, Shenyang 110041, Liaoning Province, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Shenyang First People's Hospital, Shenyang 110041, Liaoning Province, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Shenyang First People's Hospital, Shenyang 110041, Liaoning Province, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Liaoning Blood Center, Shenyang 110044, Liaoning Province, China.
authors.forename: Jianping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Basic Medical Science, China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, Liaoning Province, China.
authors.forename: Siyang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, Liaoning Province, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoguang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Luo
keywords: adipose stem cells; adipose tissue; adipose-derived stem cells; cerebral ischemia; cerebrovascular disease; differentiation; neural-like cells; stem cell therapy; stroke; transplantation