Bone marrow stem cell mobilization in stroke: a 'bonehead' may be good after all!

Abstract

Mobilizing bone cells to the head, astutely referred to as 'bonehead' therapeutic approach, represents a major discipline of regenerative medicine. The last decade has witnessed mounting evidence supporting the capacity of bone marrow (BM)-derived cells to mobilize from BM to peripheral blood (PB), eventually finding their way to the injured brain. This homing action is exemplified in BM stem cell mobilization following ischemic brain injury. Here, I review accumulating laboratory studies implicating the role of therapeutic mobilization of transplanted BM stem cells for brain plasticity and remodeling in stroke.

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1

Bone marrow-derived stem cells. Schematic diagram shows subsets of bone marrow-derived stem cells, including HSCs, MSCs, EPCs and VSELs, that have been examined in the laboratory and are rapidly being translated into clinical applications as efficacious stem cell sources for transplantation therapy in stroke.