Stroke in Elderly: Current Status and Future Directions - E-Book

Ischemic stroke is one of the major health problems worldwide. The only FDA approvedanti-thrombotic drug for acute ischemic stroke is the tissue plasminogen activator. Severalstudies have been devoted to assessing the therapeutic potential of different types ofstem cells such as neural stem cells (NSCs), mesenchymal stem cells, embryonic stemcells, and human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived NSCs as treatments for ischemicstroke. The results of these studies are intriguing but many of them have presentedconflicting results. Additionally, the mechanism(s) by which engrafted stem/progenitorcells exert their actions are to a large extent unknown. In this review, we will provide asynopsis of different preclinical and clinical studies related to the use of stem cell-basedstroke therapy, and explore possible beneficial/detrimental outcomes associated withthe use of different types of stem cells. Due to limited/short time window implementedin most of the recorded clinical trials about the use of stem cells as potential therapeuticintervention for stroke, further clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of the intervention in alonger time window after cellular engraftments are still needed