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Review
. 2013 Dec;95(12):2271-85.
doi: 10.1016/j.biochi.2013.06.020. Epub 2013 Jul 1.

The stem cell secretome and its role in brain repair

Denise Drago  1 , Chiara Cossetti, Nunzio Iraci, Edoardo Gaude, Giovanna Musco, Angela Bachi, Stefano Pluchino
Affiliations
Review

The stem cell secretome and its role in brain repair

Denise Drago et al. Biochimie. 2013 Dec.

Abstract

Compelling evidence exists that non-haematopoietic stem cells, including mesenchymal (MSCs) and neural/progenitor stem cells (NPCs), exert a substantial beneficial and therapeutic effect after transplantation in experimental central nervous system (CNS) disease models through the secretion of immune modulatory or neurotrophic paracrine factors. This paracrine hypothesis has inspired an alternative outlook on the use of stem cells in regenerative neurology. In this paradigm, significant repair of the injured brain may be achieved by injecting the biologics secreted by stem cells (secretome), rather than implanting stem cells themselves for direct cell replacement. The stem cell secretome (SCS) includes cytokines, chemokines and growth factors, and has gained increasing attention in recent years because of its multiple implications for the repair, restoration or regeneration of injured tissues. Thanks to recent improvements in SCS profiling and manipulation, investigators are now inspired to harness the SCS as a novel alternative therapeutic option that might ensure more efficient outcomes than current stem cell-based therapies for CNS repair. This review discusses the most recent identification of MSC- and NPC-secreted factors, including those that are trafficked within extracellular membrane vesicles (EVs), and reflects on their potential effects on brain repair. It also examines some of the most convincing advances in molecular profiling that have enabled mapping of the SCS.

Keywords: Brain repair; Mesenchymal stem cells; Neural stem cells; Secretome; Stem cell transplantation.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Proposed model for the therapeutic application of mesenchymal/neural stem cell secretome in CNS repair.
Exchange of signals between grafted MSCs or NPCs and the host lead to remarkable tissue trophic effects on endogenous brain cells and beneficial modulatory actions on innate and adaptive immune responses, which ultimately promote the healing of the injured CNS. The characterization of the SCS is one of the main challenges of proteomics and metabolomics applied to neuroscience. Coupling of preconditioned media with bioengineered materials may be employed to control and sustain the expression of customized secretome and possibly extend the duration of the observed therapeutic effects.
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