Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience (Aug 2014)

Fetal stem cells and skeletal muscle regeneration: a therapeutic approach

  • Michela ePozzobon,
  • Chiara eFranzin,
  • Martina ePiccoli,
  • Paolo eDe Coppi

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2014.00222
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 6

Abstract

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More than 40% of the body mass is represented by muscle tissue, which possesses the innate ability to regenerate after damage through the activation of muscle specific stem cell, namely satellite cells. Muscle diseases, in particular chronic degenerative state of skeletal muscle such as dystrophies, lead to a perturbation of the regenerative process, which causes the premature exhaustion of satellite cell reservoir due to continue cycles of degeneration/regeneration. Nowadays, the research is focused on different therapeutic approaches, ranging from gene and cell to pharmacological therapy, but still there is not a definitive cure in particular for genetic muscle disease. Taking this in mind, in this article we will give special consideration to muscle diseases and the use of fetal derived stem cells as new approach for therapy. Cells of fetal origin, from cord blood to placenta and amniotic fluid, can be easily obtained without ethical concern, expanded and differentiated in culture, and possess immunemodulatory properties. The in vivo approach in animal models can be helpful to study the mechanism underneath the operating principle of the stem cell reservoir, namely the niche, which holds great potential to understand the onset of muscle pathologies.

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