Injection of human umbilical cord blood helps aging brain
March 10, 2008 @ 11:44 am ¡P Filed under Research Really Matters,
Press Releases
Tampa, Fla. (March 10, 2008) ¡V When human umbilical cord blood cells
(UCBC) were injected into aged laboratory animals, researchers at the
University of South Florida (USF) found improvements in the
microenvironment of the hippocampus region of the animals¡¦ brains and
a subsequent rejuvenation of neural stem/progenitor cells.
Published online at BMC Neuroscience (www.biomedcentral.
2202/9/22), the research presented the possibility of a cell therapy
aimed at rejuvenating the aged brain.
¡§Brain cell neurogenesis decreases dramatically with increasing age,
mostly because of a growing impoverishment in the brain¡¦s
microenvironment,¡¨ said co-author Alison Willing, PhD, of the USF
Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair. ¡§The increase in
neurogenesis we saw after injecting UCBCs seemed to be due to a
decrease in inflammation.¡¨
According to lead author Carmelina Gemma, Ph.D., of the James A.
Haley Veterans Administration Medical Center (VA) and USF, the
decrease in neurogenesis that accompanies aging is a result of the
decrease in proliferation of stem cells, not the loss of cells.
¡§In the brain, there are two stem cell pools, one of which resides in
the hippocampus,¡¨ explained graduate student and first author Adam
Bachstetter. ¡§As in other stem cell pools, the stem cells in the
brain lose their capacity to generate new cells. A potent stressor of
stem cell proliferation is inflammation.¡¨
Prior to this study, the research team led by Paula C. Bickford,
Ph.D., of the VA and USF found that reducing neuroinflammation in
aged rats by blocking the synthesis of the pro-inflammatory cytokine
IL1ƒÒ rescued some of the age-related decrease in neurogenesis and
improved cognitive function.
¡§We think that UCBCs may have a similar potential to reduce
inflammation and to restore some of the lost capacity of
stem/progenitor cells to proliferate and differentiate into neurons,¡¨
said Dr. Bickford.
The study found that the number of proliferative cells increased
within 24 hours following the UCBC injections into the aged
laboratory rats and that the increased cell proliferation continued
for at least 15 days following a single treatment.
¡§We have shown that injections of UCBCs can reduce
neuroinflammation,¡¨ concluded co-author Paul R. Sanberg, Ph.D. D.Sc.
director of the Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair. ¡§Our
results raise the possibility that a cell therapy could be an
effective approach to improving the microenvironment of the aged
brain and restoring some lost capacity.¡¨
The USF study was supported by the National Institutes of Health and
the VA Medical Research Service.
Citation: Bachstetter, AD, Pabon, MM, Cole, MJ, Hudson, CE, Sanberg,
PR, Willing, AE, Bickford, PC, Gemma, C. Peripheral injection of
human umbilical cord blood stimulates neurogenesis in the aged rat
brain. BMC Neuroscience, 9(1), 2008, 22 (Epub ahead of print).
- News release by Randy Fillmore
http://hscweb3.
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StemCells subscribers may also be interested in these sites:
Children's Neurobiological Solutions
http://www.CNSfoundation.org/
Cord Blood Registry
http://www.CordBlood.com/at.cgi?a=150123
The CNS Healing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CNS_Healing
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