[A stem cell therapy for stroke].

It has been reported that the adult mammalian harbors stem cells or progenitors that retain the potential for both neural production and differentiation. Recently, several progenitors derived from non-neural samples as well as the neural tissues in humans are thought to be a good candidate for the regenerative medicine. Multipotent embryonic stem cells prepared from the fertilized egg or neural stem cells from fetus may be used as allotransplants. Progenitors derived from adult brain, bone marrow, code blood, or lipid can be used as autotransplants. Bone marrow in adult mammals contains several types of precursor and stem cells such as hematopoietic stem cells, non-hematopoietic stem cells, and other unknown precursor cells. The distinct population of progenitor cells in the bone marrow are thought to retain the potential for both neural production and differentiation, and may contribute to a therapeutic strategy for stroke. In the present report, the possible therapeutic strategy of the stem cell transplantation for the stroke is discussed.