Search Here

The speed of recovery in rats after suffering from stroke was improved by the introduction of stem cells extracted either from the bone marrow or fat, according to a new study. Stem cells are those cells which can divide and produce different type of cells and can also replicate themselves to produce more stem cells. They are present in multicellular organisms.

The research was led by Dr. Exuperio Diez-Tejedor from La Paz University Hospital and the result was published in BioMed Central's open access journal Stem Cell Research and Therapy.

In the research, scientists observed that when the rats who suffered stroke were treated with stem cells, it improved the repair process of the nerve and the brain cells, and also the capability of the rat to complete behavioral tasks.

In recent years, stem cell therapy has shown a lot of potential for the treatment of patients, however, there are many issues that need to be addressed. The process and the specified cell type required for individual stem cell therapy is yet to be determined. This research focuses on addressing some of the issues.

For the research, rats who suffered stroke were given stem cells or saline after a stroke. It was observed that the condition of the rats improved after 24 hours and they were able to function better. At the end of two weeks, these rats were able to get almost normal scores on the tests. Though the stem cells introduced in them did not move toward the brain or the damaged area, it still improved their functionality. The recovered rats had an increased bio marker, like the growth factor VEGF, which is associated with brain repair. This improvement was constant for the stem cells of both fat and bone marrow.

"Improved recovery was seen regardless of origin of the stem cells, which may increase the usefulness of this treatment in human trials. Adipose-derived cells in particular are abundant and easy to collect without invasive surgery," Dr. Diez-Tejedor was quoted as saying in Medicalxpress.