Mesenchymal stem cell- and extracellular vesicle-based therapies for Alzheimer's disease: progress, advantages, and challenges

• Published in: Neural regeneration research Vol. 18; no. 8; pp. 1645 - 1651
• Main Authors: Gonçalves, Renata Guedes de Jesus, Vasques, Juliana Ferreira, da Silva-Junior, Almir Jordão, Gubert, Fernanda, Mendez-Otero, Rosalia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India Programa Redes de Pesquisa em Saúde no Estado do Rio de Janeiro,Rio de Janeiro,Brazil 01.08.2023; Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas,Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro,Rio de Janeiro,Brazil%Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho,Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro,Rio de Janeiro,Brazil; Programa Redes de Pesquisa em Nanotecnologia no Estado do Rio de Janeiro,Rio de Janeiro,Brazil%Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Medicina Regenerativa,Rio de Janeiro,Brazil; Plataformas Inovadoras em Terapias Avan?adas,Departamento de Ciência e Tecnologia-Ministério da Saúde(DECIT-MS),Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico(CNPq),Brazil; Programa Redes de Pesquisa em Saúde no Estado do Rio de Janeiro,Rio de Janeiro,Brazil%Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Medicina Regenerativa,Rio de Janeiro,Brazil; Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho,Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro,Rio de Janeiro,Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Medicina Regenerativa,Rio de Janeiro,Brazil; Programa Redes de Pesquisa em Nanotecnologia no Estado do Rio de Janeiro,Rio de Janeiro,Brazil; Wolters Kluwer - Medknow
• Subjects: Review; cell transplantation; mesenchymal stem cell; Alzheimer´s disease; extracellular vesicles; neuroinflammation; cell therapy; exosomes; amyloid-β; micro vesicles; tau protein; Alzheimer′s disease
• ISSN: 1673-5374; 1876-7958
• DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.361546

Alzheimer's disease is a severe, highly disabling neurodegenerative disease, clinically characterized by a progressive decline in cognitive functions, and is the most common form of dementia in the elderly. For decades, the search for disease-modifying therapies has focused on the two main Alzheimer's disease histopathological hallmarks, seeking to prevent, mitigate, or clear the formation of extracellular aggregates of β-amyloid peptide and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles of tau protein, although without clinical success. Mesenchymal stem cell-based therapy has emerged as a promising alternative for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, especially because it also targets other crucial players in the pathogenesis of the disease, such as neuroinflammation, synaptic dysfunction/loss, oxidative stress, and impaired neurogenesis. Herein, we review current knowledge of the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells and their extracellular vesicles for Alzheimer's disease, discussing the most recent findings in both preclinical and clinical trials as well as how advanced technologies have helped to overcome some limitations and contributed to stimulate the development of more effective treatments.