Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist-mediated neuroprotection by umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells following transplantation into a rodent stroke model

Abstract

Stroke: Cells from umbilical cords offer potential treatment Cells harvested from umbilical cords might improve the prospects for stroke patients by reducing the inflammation that causes brain damage. Researchers at CHA University in South Korea led by Jihwan Song, Ok-Joon Kim and Seung-Hun Oh used a rodent model of stroke to investigate the mechanism behind the protective effect of connective tissue cells called mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). The benefits of these cells were already known, but the mechanism responsible for their effect was unclear. The researchers found that intravenous administration of MSCs initiated biochemical changes that reduced the inflammatory effects of a natural signaling protein called interleukin-1. This limited the damage caused by strokes that block blood flow, resulting in reduced blood supply (ischemia) to parts of the brain. The insights should help efforts to treat ischemic forms of stroke.