2014年6月15日訊 /生物谷BIOON/--近日，科學家發現了多發性硬化症（MS）的一種很有前途的新療法，利用人類胚胎幹細胞治療多發性硬化症（MS）。研究人員表明，胚胎幹細胞(hESC) 來源的間充質幹細胞(hES-MSC)治療能顯著降低動物模型MS疾病的嚴重程度，與人骨髓間充質幹細胞(BM-MSC)治療相比能提供更好的治療效果。
人類胚胎幹細胞的另一個優點是，它們可以無限地在實驗室培養增殖，並充當高品質的間充質幹細胞的無限來源，而間充質幹細胞是治療MS需要的一種幹細胞。目前，骨髓間充質幹細胞(BM-MSC)已用於多發性硬化症的臨床實驗中，但由於供體骨髓供應有限，質量參差不齊。而hESC可在實驗室中無限擴增，易於質控，單一的hESC株可連續分化成穩定的MSC，因此很符合臨床大規模無菌生產的要求。
目前還沒有方法治癒MS（一種慢性神經炎症性疾病，其機體的免疫系統「蠶食」髓磷脂，髓磷脂的破壞會干擾腦，脊髓和身體其它區域之間的通信）。當前MS的治療僅是緩解疼痛，並通過抑制炎症減緩疾病的進展。
這種新型的間充質幹細胞的優點在MS模型中有著顯著更高的療效，該小組的研究結果刊登在Stem Cell Reports雜誌上。（生物谷Bioon.com）
Human ESC-Derived MSCs Outperform Bone Marrow MSCs in the Treatment of an EAE Model of Multiple Sclerosis
Xiaofang Wang, Erin A. Kimbrel7, Kumiko Ijichi, Debayon Paul, Adam S. Lazorchak, Jianlin Chu, Nicholas A. Kouris, Gregory J. Yavanian, Shi-Jiang Lu, Joel S. Pachter, Stephen J. Crocker, Robert Lanzaemail, Ren-He Xuemail.
Current therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) are largely palliative, not curative. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) harbor regenerative and immunosuppressive functions, indicating a potential therapy for MS, yet the variability and low potency of MSCs from adult sources hinder their therapeutic potential. MSCs derived from human embryonic stem cells (hES-MSCs) may be better suited for clinical treatment of MS because of their unlimited and stable supply. Here, we show that hES-MSCs significantly reduce clinical symptoms and prevent neuronal demyelination in a mouse experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE) model of MS, and that the EAE disease-modifying effect of hES-MSCs is significantly greater than that of human bone-marrow-derived MSCs (BM-MSCs). Our evidence also suggests that increased IL-6 expression by BM-MSCs contributes to the reduced anti-EAE therapeutic activity of these cells. A distinct ability to extravasate and migrate into inflamed CNS tissues may also be associated with the robust therapeutic effects of hES-MSCs on EAE.