Stroke Calls Stem Cells

Nice, France -

It is known that after myocardial infarction stem cells exit the bone marrow and enter systemic circulation, possibly as a response to chemoattractants released by injured myocardium.

In a recent study (Dunac et al. Neurological and functional recovery in human stroke are associated with peripheral blood CD34+ cell mobilization. J Neurol. 2007 Mar;254(3):327-32) a similar observation was made in patinets with stroke.

25 patients with acute ischemic stroke were compared to controls for a 14 day period of observation. The authors reported large scale CD34 mobilization into peripheral blood, as well as A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POSITIVE OUTCOME AND EXTENT OF STEM CELL MOBILIZATION.

This appears to be the first study demonstrating that stem cell mobilization in response to injury may actually increase the rate of healing.

We do ask, however, if this indeed is the case, then why has G-CSF mobilization in patients with stroke not worked as well as anticipated?