Adult mesenchymal stem cells, specifically adipose-derived stem cells, have self-renewal and multiple differentiation potentials and have been shown to be the ideal candidate for therapeutic applications in regenerative medicine, particularly in peripheral nerve regeneration.

Intracellular Signaling PathwaysShare on Pinterest
This is a schematic representation of the most important intracellular signaling pathways which correlate cellular senescence, cell death and apoptosis to environmental stimuli.
Credit: Neural Regeneration Research

Adipose-derived stem cells are easily harvested, although they may show the effects of aging, hence their potential in nerve repair may be limited by cellular senescence or donor age.

Cellular senescence is a complex process whereby stem cells grow old as consequence of intrinsic events (e.g., DNA damage) or environmental cues (e.g., stressful stimuli or diseases), which determine a permanent growth arrest.

Prof. Magnaghi and his team from University of Milan in Italy reported some of the most important factors modulating the senescence process, which can influence adipose-derived stem cell morphology and function, and compromise their clinical application for peripheral nerve regenerative cell therapy.

These findings are published in Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 9, No. 1, 2014).

Article: " Senescence in adipose-derived stem cells and its implications in nerve regeneration " by Cristina Mantovani1 , Giorgio Terenghi2, Valerio Magnaghi1 (1 Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy 2 Blond McIndoe Laboratories, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK)

Mantovani C, Terenghi G, Magnaghi V. Senescence in adipose-derived stem cells and its implications in nerve regeneration. Neural Regen Res. 2014;9(1):10-15.