In the relentless search for an effective cure for Alzheimer’s disease, a new study from the University of California San Diego has highlighted the potential of stem cell therapies, already used in treating various cancers and disorders.
Researchers demonstrated the efficacy of transplanting hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in reversing several signs of Alzheimer’s in a mouse model.
Mice that were administered with these healthy stem cells showcased improved memory and cognition, had reduced neuroinflammation, and exhibited significantly lesser β-amyloid accumulation, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s.
Microglia, immune cells in the brain, play a pivotal role in Alzheimer’s disease.
While they can contribute to the disease’s progression through inflammation, they’re also essential for eliminating β-amyloid plaques under healthy conditions.
However, this beneficial function diminishes in Alzheimer’s, leading to the build-up of these harmful plaques.
The therapeutic approach, as described by senior study author Stephanie Cherqui, PhD, seeks to revitalize the microglia’s function through hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell transplantation.
This, in turn, could potentially alleviate the diverse complications associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
The research team, under the guidance of postdoctoral researcher Priyanka Mishra, PhD, transplanted healthy wild-type hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells into Alzheimer’s mice.
These cells effectively differentiated into microglia-like cells in the brain.
Behavioral Improvements: Mice treated with this therapy showed complete prevention of memory loss and cognitive impairment. Their behavior, regarding object recognition and risk perception, was noticeably better than that of untreated mice.
Neurological Improvements: The treated mice’s brains displayed a significant decrease in β-amyloid plaques. The therapy also curbed microgliosis, neuroinflammation, and bolstered the blood-brain barrier’s integrity.
Gene Expression: Stem cell therapy recipients exhibited reduced cortical expression of genes linked with diseased microglia and decreased hippocampal expression of genes associated with impaired endothelial cells.
A noteworthy observation was that mice receiving stem cells from Alzheimer’s mice showed no improvements, suggesting the disease-related properties in these cells were retained.
Future Potential and Concluding Remarks:
The promising results of this study spotlight the immense therapeutic potential of stem cell therapies in treating Alzheimer’s.
The next step is delving deeper into understanding how these transplanted cells yield such profound effects and evaluating their efficacy in human subjects.
As stated by Professor Cherqui, the crippling impact of Alzheimer’s disease, both emotionally and economically, underscores the urgent need for effective treatments.
The findings from this study offer hope for a potential breakthrough in the future of Alzheimer’s therapeutics.
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The study was published in Cell Reports.
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