Potential for neural differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells

Adult human stem cells have gained progressive interest as a promising source of autologous cells to be used as therapeutic vehicles. Particularly, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represent a great tool in regenerative medicine because of their ability to differentiate into a variety of specialized cells. Among adult tissues in which MSCs are resident, adipose tissue has shown clear advantages over other sources of MSCs (ease of surgical access, availability, and isolation), making adipose tissue the ideal large-scale source for research on clinical applications. Stem cells derived from the adipose tissue (adipose-derived stem cells = ADSCs) possess a great and unique regenerative potential: they are self-renewing and can differentiate along several mesenchymal tissue lineages (adipocytes, osteoblasts, myocytes, chondrocytes, endothelial cells, and cardiomyocytes), among which neuronal-like cells gained particular interest. In view of the promising clinical applications in tissue regeneration, research has been conducted towards the creation of a successful protocol for achieving cells with a well-defined neural phenotype from adipose tissue. The promising results obtained open new scenarios for innovative approaches for a cell-based treatment of neurological degenerative disorders.