Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Health Sciences University.
Dose Response. 2012 Jul 23;11(2):238-54. doi: 10.2203/dose-response.12-019.Wang. Print 2013.
Although the adult human brain has a small number of neural stem cells, they are insufficient to repair the damaged brain to achieve significant functional recovery for neurodegenerative diseases and stroke. Stem cell therapy, by either enhancing endogenous neurogenesis, or transplanting stem cells, has been regarded as a promising solution. However, the harsh environment of the diseased brain posts a severe threat to the survival and correct differentiation of those new stem cells. Hormesis (or preconditioning, stress adaptation) is an adaptation mechanism by which cells or organisms are potentiated to survive an otherwise lethal condition, such as the harsh oxidative stress in the stroke brain. Stem cells treated by low levels of chemical, physical, or pharmacological stimuli have been shown to survive better in the neurodegenerative brain. Thus combining hormesis and stem cell therapy might improve the outcome for treatment of these diseases. In addition, since the cell death patterns and their underlying molecular mechanism may vary in different neurodegenerative diseases, even in different progression stages of the same disease, it is essential to design a suitable and optimum hormetic strategy that is tailored to the individual patient.
虽然成人脑中的神经干细胞数量很少，但它们不足以修复受损的大脑，从而实现神经退行性疾病和中风的显著功能恢复。干细胞疗法，无论是通过增强内源性神经发生，还是通过移植干细胞，都被认为是一种很有前途的解决方案。然而，患病大脑恶劣的环境对这些新的干细胞的存活和正确分化构成了严重威胁。应激（或预处理、压力适应）是一种适应机制，通过这种机制，细胞或生物体能够在原本致命的条件下存活下来，例如中风大脑中的恶劣氧化应激。研究表明，低水平的化学、物理或药理学刺激处理的干细胞在神经退行性脑内的存活能力更好。因此，将应激和干细胞疗法相结合可能会改善这些疾病的治疗效果。此外，由于不同神经退行性疾病的细胞死亡模式及其潜在的分子机制可能不同，即使在同一疾病的不同进展阶段也是如此，因此，设计适合个体患者的合适和最佳应激策略至关重要。
