2017 Volume 28 Issue 2 Pages 281-289
Stroke is the leading cause of disability in Japan, and development of an innovative approach has been desired. We have reported that intravenous infusion of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) provides therapeutic efficacy on neurological diseases including stroke. Currently, based on our favorable results of basic and clinical researches, clinical trials with intravenous infusion of autologous MSCs from bone marrow for cerebral infarction and spinal cord injury are ongoing at Sapporo Medical University. Suggested therapeutic mechanisms of MSCs in various models of central nervous system diseases include secretion of neurotrophic factors, which can provide for neuroprotection; reduction in inflammation; neovascularization. Recently, we have demonstrated that combination of intravenous infusion of MSCs and rehabilitation provides functional improvements via induction of neural plasticity as well as the suggested mechanisms above. These results might suggest that rehabilitation plays an important role in regenerative medicine when the MSC therapy is widely used at the bedside.
