Advances in stem cells transplantation for the therapy of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease and is a major culprit that harms the health of elderly people. The main pathological feature is the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta of the midbrain. The current mainstream therapeutic strategies include surgical treatment and medicine substitute therapy. However, these treatment methods sometime have limitations. Subsequently, the treatment with stem cells (SCs) transplantation has been gradually established. SCs is a kind of cell with self-renewal ability and multi-directional differentiation potential. Transplantation of SCs, including embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells (neural stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells) and induced pluripotent stem cells, have the ability to mediate nerve regeneration and restoration within the lesioned midbrain tissue, bringing hope for the treatment of PD. In this paper we summarize the progress in therapeutic strategies of different types of SCs in PD treatment, with an emphasis on the advantages and limitations.