
Optimal benefit and functional improvement for ischemic stroke results when human umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells (hUCB MNCs) are transplanted into rat stroke models within 72 hours.
This was found by a research team from Germany and their study is published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation. "Ischemic stroke is one of the most frequent causes of death and the most common reason for permanent disabilities in adults in industrialized nations," said Dr. Johannes Boltze, study corresponding-author from the University of Leipzig. "Despite recent research, treatment opportunities are limited and the only approved therapy to date must be administered within a narrow four and a half hour time window."
According to the authors there is a "strong demand for alternative strategies," and among those most recently studied is Cell Transplantation using neonatal or adult stem cells. Their study investigates the time-dependent efficacy of hUCB MNCs following experimental brain ischemia in rats. The emphasis of their study was exploring factors that impact on Cell Transplantation to derive the best outcomes, such as determining an appropriate transplantation time point, or window of opportunity. The researchers transplanted hUCB MNCs into test animals at various time intervals following stroke, at four hours, 24 hours, 72 hours, 120 hours and at 14 days. "Our results demonstrated that transplantation within a 72 hour time window resulted in an early improvement in functional recovery," said Dr. Boltze. "The failure to induce sustained functional recovery, lesion reduction, and limitation of glial scaring in animals treated at 120 hours indicates the 72 hour time window as efficient for cell application."
Source: Eurekalert