title: Stem cell therapies in preclinical models of stroke. Is the aged brain microenvironment refractory to cell therapy?
abstract: Stroke is a devastating disease demanding vigorous search for new therapies. Initial enthusiasm to stimulate restorative processes in the ischemic brain by means of cell-based therapies has meanwhile converted into a more balanced view recognizing impediments that may be related to unfavorable age-associated environments. Recent results using a variety of drug, cell therapy or combination thereof suggest that, (i) treatment with Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) in aged rats has primarily a beneficial effect on functional outcome most likely via supportive cellular processes such as neurogenesis; (ii) the combination therapy, G-CSF with mesenchymal cells (G-CSF+BM-MSC or G-CSF+BM-MNC) did not further improve behavioral indices, neurogenesis or infarct volume as compared to G-CSF alone in aged animals; (iii) better results with regard to integration of transplanted cells in the aged rat environment have been obtained using iPS of human origin; (iv) mesenchymal cells may be used as drug carriers for the aged post-stroke brains.
  
  
  
  While the middle aged brain does not seem to impair drug and cell therapies, in a real clinical practice involving older post-stroke patients, successful regenerative therapies would have to be carried out for a much longer time.
authors.affiliation: University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Chair of Biochemistry, Neurobiology of Aging Group, Romania.
authors.forename: Raluca Elena
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Sandu
authors.affiliation: University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Chair of Biochemistry, Neurobiology of Aging Group, Romania.
authors.forename: Adrian Tudor
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Balseanu
authors.affiliation: University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Chair of Biochemistry, Neurobiology of Aging Group, Romania.
authors.forename: Catalin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bogdan
authors.affiliation: Department of Healthcare Science, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Slevin
authors.affiliation: Griffith University School of Medicine, Gold Coast Campus, QLD 4222, Australia.
authors.forename: Eugen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Petcu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Rostock, Germany; University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Chair of Biochemistry, Neurobiology of Aging Group, Romania. Electronic address: aurel.popa2011@googlemail.com.
authors.forename: Aurel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Popa-Wagner
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D057026:Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000637:transplantation*; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation; D055495:Neurogenesis; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D020127:Recovery of Function; D055153:Stem Cell Niche; D020521:Stroke / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*
chemical_list: D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor
keywords: Aging; G-CSF; Hypothermia; Stem cells; Stroke; Therapy