Stem cell can both self-renew and have the ability to differentiate into one or more cell types that perform normal tissue/organ function throughout life, including embryonic stem cell and adult stem cell. The treatment with stem cells will be widely used in the future. This article reviews recent advances in studies of the use of embryonic stem cells and spermatogonial stem cells in male reproduction.
Embryonic Stem Cells ; transplantation ; Humans ; Male ; Spermatogonia ; cytology ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; trends ; Stem Cells ; cytology

The neural stem cells in Wistar rats were cultured in vitro, purified, and transplanted into C6 glioma model in order to observe their biological characters and provide a basic foundation for treatment of neurological diseases by neural stem cell transplantation. The cells at hippocampal area from gestation 15-day rats were cultured in vitro, and frozen and preserved in liquid nitrogen. C6 tumor-bearing models (n=25) and neural stem cells transplantation models (n=35) were established. When the tumor grew to 3 to 4 weeks, 5 rats in each group were randomly selected for MRI examination. At different intervals, the rats were perfused and sampled for HE staining, GFAP and BrdU immunohistochemical staining. The results showed that after resuscitation of neural stem cells at 1-4 passages, the cell viability was 40%-63% with the difference being not significant. The cells could proliferate, passage, and most cells transplanted into glioma model survived. The mean survival time in neural stem cell transplantation group and control was 4.28 and 3.88 weeks respectively, and the average tumor size in the former was smaller than in the latter. It was concluded that embryonic neural stem cells in rats could proliferate and differentiate, and after resuscitation the biological characteristic and viability of the cells were not influenced. Neural stem cells had inhibitory effects on the growth of glioma cells and could prolong the survival of rat model.
Brain/cytology ; Brain Neoplasms/*therapy ; Cells, Cultured ; Embryonic Stem Cells/cytology ; Embryonic Stem Cells/*transplantation ; Glioma/*therapy ; Neoplasm Transplantation ; Neurons/*cytology ; Random Allocation ; Rats, Wistar ; Stem Cell Transplantation

Stem cell research is a innovative technology that focuses on using undifferentiated cells able to self-renew through the asymmetrical or symmetrical divisions. Three types of stem cells have been studied in laboratory including embryonic stem cell, adult stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass and it can give rise to any fetal or adult cell type. Adult stem cells are multipotent, have the ability to differentiate into a limited number of specialized cell types, and have been obtained from the bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, placenta and adipose tissue. Stem cell therapy is the most promising therapy for several degenerative and devastating diseases including digestive tract disease such as liver failure, inflammatory bowel disease, Celiac sprue, and pancreatitis. Further understanding of biological properties of stem cells will lead to safe and successful stem cell therapies.
Adult Stem Cells/cytology/metabolism/transplantation ; Embryonic Stem Cells/cytology/metabolism/transplantation ; Humans ; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells/cytology/metabolism/transplantation ; Stem Cells/*cytology/metabolism

Animals ; Embryonic Stem Cells ; transplantation ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Mobilization ; Humans ; Myocardium ; cytology ; Stem Cell Transplantation

Animals ; Embryonic Stem Cells ; cytology ; Humans ; Liver ; cytology ; Stem Cell Transplantation

Erectile dysfunction (ED), as a pathological phenomenon, refers to repeated or sustained difficulty to achieve and maintain sufficient penile erection to complete satisfactory sexual intercourse or sexual activity in male. The erectile reflex interruption induced by cavernous nerve (CN) damage is a direct cause of ED. In addition, the apoptosis of smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells in the corpus cavernosum caused by CN injury, along with the reduction of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle fibers, can increase the incidence of ED. Therefore, early intervention of the pathological process of CN injury and promotion of CN regeneration are essential for the treatment of ED. In recent years, the stem cell therapy for ED has become a focus in clinical research. This article offers an overview on the application of embryonic stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, muscle-derived stem cells, and adipose stem cells in the treatment of ED.
Adipocytes ; cytology ; Embryonic Stem Cells ; cytology ; Erectile Dysfunction ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; cytology ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; Stem Cells ; cytology

In developed countries, in which people have nutrient-rich diets, convenient environments, and access to numerous medications, the disease paradigm has changed. Nowadays, heart failure is one of the major causes of death. In spite of this, the therapeutic efficacies of medications are generally unsatisfactory. Although whole heart transplantation is ideal for younger patients with heart failure, many patients are deemed to be unsuitable for this type of surgery due to complications and/or age. The need for therapeutic alternatives to heart transplantation is great. Regenerative therapy is a strong option. For this purpose, several cell sources have been investigated, including intrinsic adult stem or progenitor cells and extrinsic pluripotent stem cells. Most intrinsic stem cells seem to contribute to a regenerative environment via paracrine factors and/or angiogenesis, whereas extrinsic pluripotent stem cells are unlimited sources of cardiomyocytes. In this review, we summarize the various strategies for using regenerative cardiomyocytes including our recent progressions: non-genetic approaches for the purification of cardiomyocytes and efficient transplantation. We expect that use of intrinsic and extrinsic stem cells in combination will enhance therapeutic effectiveness.
Animals ; Embryonic Stem Cells/cytology ; Humans ; Myocardium/*cytology/*metabolism ; Myocytes, Cardiac/*cytology ; *Regeneration ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; Tissue Engineering

Stem cells are defined by their capacity of self-renewal and multilineage differentiation, which make them uniquely situated to treat a broad spectrum of human diseases. Based on a series of remarkable studies in several fields of regenerative medicine, their application is not too far from the clinical practice. Full-thickness burns and severe traumas can injure skin and its appendages, which protect animals from water loss, temperature change, radiation, trauma and infection. In adults, the normal outcome of repair of massive full-thickness burns is fibrosis and scarring without any appendages, such as hair follicles, sweat and sebaceous glands. Perfect skin regeneration has been considered impossible due to the limited regenerative capacity of epidermal keratinocytes, which are generally thought to be the key source of the epidermis and skin appendages. Currently, researches on stem cells, such as epidermal stem cells, dermal stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow, and embryonic stem cells, bring promise to functional repair of skin after severe burn injury, namely, complete regeneration of skin and its appendages. In this study, we present an overview of the most recent advances in skin repair and regeneration by using stem cells.
Embryonic Stem Cells ; transplantation ; Epidermis ; cytology ; Genetic Therapy ; Hair Follicle ; cytology ; Humans ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; Regeneration ; Skin Diseases ; therapy ; Skin Physiological Phenomena ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; Tissue Engineering

Most liver diseases lead to hepatic dysfunction with organ failure. Liver transplantation is the best curative therapy, but it has some limitations such as donor shortage, possibility of rejection, and maintenance of immunosuppressant. New therapies have been actively searched for over several decades, primarily in the form of artificial liver support devices and hepatocyte transplantation, but both of these modalities remain experimental. Stem cells have recently shown promise in cell therapy because they have the capacity for self-renewal and multilineage differentiation, and are applicable to human diseases. Very recent reports of unexpected plasticity in adult bone marrow have raised hopes of stem cell therapy offering exciting therapeutic possibilities for patients with chronic liver disease. Both rodent and human embryonic stem cells, bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, umbilical cord blood cells, fetal liver progenitor cells, adult liver progenitor cells, and mature hepatocytes have been reported to be capable of self-renewal, giving rise to daughter hepatocytes both in vivo and in vitro. These cells can repopulate livers in animal models of liver injury and appear to be able to improve liver function. However, significant challenges still exist before these cells can be used in humans, such as the lack of consensus about the immunophenotype of liver progenitor cells, uncertainty of the physiological role of reported candidate stem/progenitor cells, practicality of obtaining sufficient quantity of cells for clinical use, and concerns over ethics, long-term efficacy, and safety. There have been reports of phase 1 trials using stem cell transplantation in humans for liver diseases, but more effective trials are needed. We review the use of stem cells (focusing on adult ones) and the reported human clinical trials, and highlight the challenges facing clinicians in their quest to use liver stem cells to save lives.
Bone Marrow Cells/cytology ; Cell Differentiation ; Embryonic Stem Cells/cytology/transplantation ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells/cytology ; Humans ; Immunophenotyping ; Liver/*cytology/physiology ; Liver Diseases/*therapy ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/cytology ; *Stem Cell Transplantation

Patients with irreversible hypothyroidism require lifelong levo-thyroxin ( L-T4) replacement therapy, which makes them feel discomfortable. With the development of the thyroid tissues autotransplantation and embryonic stem cell (ESC), this would be a more physiological approach to the treatment of irreversible hypothyroidism. The animal experiments and human clinical trials on thyroid tissues autotransplantation have shown that the autograft can survive and function. The advanced researches have demonstrated that ESC can differentiate into thyroid follicular cells.
Animals ; Cell Differentiation ; Embryonic Stem Cells ; cytology ; transplantation ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism ; surgery ; therapy ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; methods ; Thyroid Gland ; cytology ; transplantation ; Transplantation, Autologous