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Table 1 AD rodent model stem cell transplantation studies in the last 5 years

From: Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and stem cell therapy

Study

[23]

[24]

[26]

[27]

[34]

[35]

[36]

[37]

[38]

[39]

[45]

Cell type

Murine embryonic NSCs

Human fetal NSCs

Human fetal NSCs

Human fetal NSCs

Human UCB-MSCs

Human PD-MSCs

Human U-MSCs

Human U-MSC-NCs

Human A-MSCs

Murine BM-MSCs

Human BM-MSCs

Human iPSC-derived neuronal precursors

Model

B6C3-Tg

(APPswe/PSEN1dE9) transgenic mice

NSE-APPswe transgenic mice

Tg2576

(APPswe) transgenic mice

3×Tg-AD

transgenic mice

CaM/Tet-DTA mice

APP/PS1 transgenic mice

1–42

cerebrally infused mice

B6C3-Tg

(APPswe/

PSEN1dE9) transgenic mice

Tg2576

(APPswe) transgenic mice

3xTg-AD

transgenic mice

APP/PS1 transgenic mice

1–42

cerebro-ventricular infused mice

PDAPP transgenic mice

Delivery route

Bilateral intra-hippocampal stereotactic injection

5 × 105 to 1 × 106 cells Sham: PBS vehicle

Bilateral intra-ventricular stereotactic injection

5 × 105 cells Sham: H-H buffer vehicle

Bilateral intra-hippocampal stereotactic injection

2.5 × 105 cells Sham: culture media vehicle

Bilateral intra-hippocampal stereotactic injection

1 × 105 cells Sham: vehicle

Three bilateral intra-hippocampal injections at 2 week intervals

1 × 105 cells per injection Sham: PBS vehicle

Intravenous injection

1 × 105, 5 × 105, or 1 × 106 cells Sham: Saline vehicle

Bilateral intra-hippocampal stereotactic injection

5 × 104 cells Sham: PBS vehicle

Intravenous injection

2 × 106 cells Sham: PBS vehicle

Intravenous injection

1 × 106 cells Sham: NaCl solution vehicle

Intravenous injection

1 × 106 cells Sham: PBS vehicle

Bilateral intra-hippocampal stereotactic injection

2 × 105 cells Sham: PBS vehicle

Findings

10 weeks post-operation

Extensive donor cell migration

14.6% neuron, 36.2% astrocyte, and 28.5% oligodendroctye phenotypic differentiation

Improved spatial memory (Morris water maze)

Decreased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and PGE2

Aβ levels unchanged

7 weeks post- operation

Extensive donor cellular migration

NSC phenotype remained in >80% of cells

Improved spatial memory (Morris water maze)

Decreased levels of phosphorylated tau, Aβ plaques, astrogliosis, microgliosis and apoptosis

Decreased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, TNF- α and iNOS

Increased cerebral neurotrophin levels and increased hippocampal synaptic density

5 weeks post- operation

Donor cells in the dentate gyrus polymorphic layer

70% neuron, 20% astrocyte phenotypic differentiation

Improved spatial memory (Morris water maze)

Increased endogenous neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus

Reduced cerebral Aβ levels

6 weeks post-operation

Donor cells in the CA1 hippocampal subregion

36.6% and 41.1% cell survival in 3 × Tg-AD and CaM/Tet-DTA, respectively

Improved spatial memory (Morris water maze, context- and place-dependent NOR task)

Majority of donor cells expressed NSC phenotype

Increased levels of synaptic proteins in the hippocampus

Soluble, insoluble and hyperphosphorylated tau, Aβ40, and Aβ42 levels unchanged

41 days post-operation (first injection)

Improved spatial memory (Morris water maze)

Reduced phosphorylated tau, Aβ plaques, vascular Aβ40, and BACE-1 expression in the cortex and hippocampus

Increased levels of activated microglia in the cortex and hippocampus

Reduced levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α, and increased anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-4

2 weeks post-operation

Limited donor cells in the hippocampus, and no neural differentiation

Improved spatial memory (Morris water maze)

Reduced levels of cerebral APP and BACE1, and reduced β- and γ-secretase activity

Reduced levels of activated astrocytes and microglia

Attenuation Aβ1–42 induced hippocampal apoptosis, and impaired endogenous neuronal differentiation

Reduced expression of inflammatory proteins iNOS and COX-2, and an array of pro-inflammatory cytokines

4 weeks post-operation

No donor cells present at 4 weeks post-surgery

Improved spatial memory (Morris water maze) in the U-MSC-NC group

Increased hippocampal levels of synapsin I in the U-MSC-NC group

Decreased hippocampal Aβ deposition, decreased soluble Aβ40 and Aβ42 levels, and increased Aβ-degrading enzymes in the U-MSC-NC group

Increased number of M2 activated microglia in the U-MSC-NC group

Reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and TNF-α), and increased anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-4 in the U-MSC-NC group

6 weeks post-operation (Tg2576 mice)

Improved spatial memory (Morris water maze)

1 and 12 weeks post-operation (3 × Tg-AD mice)

Donor cells in the spleen, lung, liver, but not brain

Reduced number and size of Aβ plaques

Increased density of activated microglia in the hippocampus by week 1, lower density than in sham animals by week 12

Increased phagocytotic microglia

Reduced proinflammatory cytokines IL-1 and TNF-α at week 1

Increased anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and TNF-β at week 12

Increased levels of Aβ-degrading enzymes

1 and 4 -weeks post-operation

Donor cells in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, bone marrow, lung, and liver

No reduction in total Aβ levels

Reduced total levels and vascular deposition of pE3-Ab protein at 4 weeks

Increased number of <50 μm Aβ plaques, and reduced number of 50–100 μm Aβ plaques

Reduced levels of activated astrocytes and ramified microglia

Reduced levels of cortical and hippocampal microglia

Reduced levels of hippocampal TNF-α, IL-6, and elevated levels of hippocampal PTGER2

1, 2, and 4 weeks post-operation

Donor cell neuronal differentiation in the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus

Improved working memory performance (Radial Arm Maze)

Attenuation of impaired neurogenesis and neuronal differentiation in the hippocampus at 2- and 4-week time points

Increased hippocampal expression of neural specification proteins β-catenin and Ngn1

2 weeks post-operation

Improved spatial memory (Morris water maze)

45 days post-operation

Improved spatial memory (Morris water maze)

Donor cell survival and neuronal differentiation in the hippocampus

Donor cells expression of cholinergic and GABAergic neuronal markers

Therapeutic mechanism

Modulation of inflammation

Modulation of inflammation and microglia immune response, and protection from Aβ neurotoxicity

Neurotrophic support of endogenous neurogenesis and synaptic connectivity

Neurotrophic support of endogenous neurogenesis and synaptic connectivity

Modulation of inflammation and microglia, and anti-amyloidogenic

Neurotrophic support of endogenous neurogenesis, modulation of inflammation and microglia immune response, and anti-amyloidogenic

Modulation of inflammation and microglia immune response

Modulation of inflammation and microglia immune response

Modulation of microglia immune response

Neurotrophic support of endogenous neurogenesis

and protection from Aβ neurotoxicity

Regeneration of depleted neural networks

  1. amyloid beta, AD Alzheimer’s disease, A-MSC adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell, BM-MSC bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell, COX cyclooxygenase, GABA gamma-aminobutyric acid, H-H Henderson-Hasselbalch, IL interleukin, iNOS inducible nitric oxide synthase, iPSC induced pluripotent stem cell, Ngn neurogenin, NOR novel object recognition, NSC neural stem cell, PBS phosphate-buffered saline, PD-MSC placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cell, PGE prostaglandin, PTGER prostaglandin E receptor, TNF tumour necrosis factor, U-MSC umbilical cord Warton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cell, U-MSC-NC neuron-like cell differentiated from umbilical cord Warton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cell, UCB-MSC umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cell