Transplanting autologous mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of Parkinson's disease

Objective To explore the curative effect and safety of transplanting autologous mesenchymal stem cells to patients with Parkinson's disease. Methods Forty-two patients with Parkinson's disease were selected and randomly divided into a control group and a research group, each of 21. Both groups were given routine treatment and rehabilitation, but the research group was additionally provided with autologous bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were isolated from the patients, cultured and transplanted back into the patients totally 4 times at intervals of 5 to 10 days. Before the treatment and 4 weeks and 3 months later, the clinical functioning of both groups was evaluated using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). Four weeks and 3 months after the treatment, the peripheral blood expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) , the expression of interleukin 10 (IL-10) and the expression of CSF tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in cerebrospinal fluid were compared between the 2 groups. Results The average UPDRS score of the research group decreased from (41.26±17.92) at four weeks to (33.67±17.77) at 3 months after the treatment, both significantly lower than before the treatment, and significantly lower than the scores of the control group at the same time points [(47.13±18.35) and (39.03±16.50)]. During the treatment, no severe adverse reactions were observed among the research group. Moreover, after the treatment the blood expression of VEGF and the expression of IL-10 in cerebrospinal fluid were significantly improved in the research group, while that of TNF-α was significantly reduced compared to before the treatment. nclusions The transplantation of autologous mesenchymal stem cells can safely promote nerve function in Parkinson's disease patients. It is worth applying in clinical practice. Key words: Bone marrow; Mesenchymal stem cells; Parkinson disease; Transplantation; Autologous transplantation