During last years it has been reported that adult stem cells derived from bone marrow (BMSCs) are able to induce beneficial effects that may modulate the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. This implies the possibility of using these cells (easily obtained in hospitals) for treatment of neural degenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and leukodistrophies. However, the design of an adequate strategy of transplantation and the mechanisms (secretion of trophic factors, trans-differentiation or cell fusion) by which BMSCs are able to regenerate neuronal tissue are still poorly characterized.

Thus, our research group study the trophic effects that BMSCs exert on neurons and glia in different animal models of neurodegenerative diseases. It has been demonstrated that this effect is mainly due to the production of neurotrophic factors, together with a possible beneficial element derived from cell contacts (tropism by cell contact). Since many symptoms of these neurodegenerative diseases are consequence of a progressive loss of neural cells, we are studying the possible trophic effect of the transplant of different stem cells populations from bone marrow in target regions of degenerative phenomena.

Preliminary studies from our group have demonstrated that the parenchymatous injection of BMSCs in mice with motoneuron or myelin degeneration exhibits a trophic effect on neurons and induces an increase in the number of reactive myelin progenitors. This indicates that a set of factors promotes survival of neurons in process of degeneration and also have the ability to activate quiescent glial progenitor cells to regenerate the myelin. All these findings strongly suggest that the neural transplant of BMSCs might be used as a therapeutic strategy to vary the progressive functional impairment of the nervous system in these diseases.

Fundación Diógenes (ADELA Elche), Red TERCEL of ISCIII and ELA Research Foundation (ELA 2006-02212).