A consolidated review on stem cell therapy for treatment and management of Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Memory loss, emotional fluctuations, and functioning impairments are frequent signs of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Dementia, which includes AD, affects 50 million people worldwide, the majority of whom are elderly. AD is the world's fifth biggest cause of mortality, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), with the number of fatalities expected to quadruple by 2050 if present trend continue. 1,2 Brain imaging, physical and cognitive examinations, laboratory testing, and medical history are used to diagnose AD. 3 Risk factors of the AD include apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) genotype and traumatic brain injury, family history and age, obesity, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and illiteracy. The most prevalent causes of AD are mutations in the genes producing the amyloid precursor protein (APP), presenilin 2 (PSEN2), and presenilin 1 (PSEN1). 4 As a result, both pharmaceutical and nonpharmacological therapies, such as physical, social, and cognitive activities, should be included in the treatment plan. Lithium and sodium valproate are two medicines used to treat mild to severe cognitive impairment. 5,6 Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) like naproxen and ibuprofen are also used to treat neuroinflammation and prevent neurodegeneration. 7,8 Ganstigmine, metrifonate, lecithin, ibuprofen, rofecoxib, latrepiridine, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamin B, and vitamin E are among the medications that have failed clinical studies. These drugs have been linked to headaches, nausea, vomiting, neuromuscular dysfunction, and respiratory problems. 5,9 Only five FDA-approved medications are now available to treat the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Aducanumab was just authorized for use in the year 2021. Memantine (N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor) has been on the market for 10 years (NMDAR antagonist). The remaining five medications are rivastigmine, donepezil (both cholinesterase inhibitors [ChEls]), memantine (an NMDAR antagonist), and galantamine (an NMDAR antagonist). 3,10 In recent years, stem cell therapy has exhibited significant progress in treating AD, as seen by multiple improvements in clinical studies. Self-generation, multiplication, division, and reprogramming for multi-lineage activities are among their many astonishing abilities. Consequently, they can be integrated into existing neural network topologies in this fashion.

Ketamine as a therapeutic agent in major depressive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder: Potential medicinal and deleterious effects

“…Therefore, it has been confirmed in numerous studies that depression as a neurodegenerative disorder resulting in atrophy of the brain regions 21 . Neurodegenerative disorders develop due to loss of neurons, resulting in a decline in cognitive functioning of the brain 22–28 . Several studies have identified the hippocampus as the key brain region linked to depression, and hippocampal plasticity occurs in patients with depression 29 .…”

Plausible Role of Stem Cell Types for Treating and Understanding the Pathophysiology of Depression

“…MSCs are a diverse kind of stromal stem cell that can be separated from a variety of adult tissues [ 75 , 76 ], such as the umbilical cord, endometrial polyps, bone marrow, adipose tissue, and others [ 77 ]. They can segregate into mesodermal lineage cells such as osteocytes, adipocytes, chondrocytes, and some other embryonic lineages [ 75 ].…”

The past and present of therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer’s diseases: potential for stem cell therapy

“…The long-term survival of transplanted neural cells into the brain has been prolonged by immunosuppression of xenograft rejection in AD model mice [124]. Currently, many stem cell therapies have progressed well in clinical trials [33,125] by accumulating findings through basic research, including animal experiments. Therefore, stem cell therapy is a promising future clinical application.…”

“…The discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) has enhanced the development of regenerative medicine for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease [27,28], spinal cord injury [29][30][31], hemiplegia [32], and AD [33].…”