International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2019 · DOI: 10.3390/ijms20112698 · Published: May 31, 2019
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a significant public health problem. After the initial trauma, a secondary injury occurs involving inflammation and cellular dysfunction. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a promising treatment because of their ease of isolation and properties. MSCs can be easily isolated from different sources and maintained, raising no ethical concerns and having a limited risk of tumor development. They can migrate to the injury site and exert paracrine effects. MSCs can release growth factors, cytokines and interleukins. They exert immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, neurotrophic/neuroprotective and angiogenetic effects on the host microenvironment, which is beneficial in cases of SCI.
Further research is needed to determine the optimal methods for preparing, selecting the type, and determining the number of stem cells for transplantation.
A better relationship between preclinical and clinical studies with a back-and-forth approach is mandatory to enhance the efficacy of cell therapy.
Patients should be aware of the poor clinical results obtained thus far in clinical trials to prevent exaggerated expectations and dramatic psychological consequences in the case of failure to obtain significant results.