In a major breakthrough which could pave the way for an effective treatment for Parkinson's, scientists claim to have found evidence that stem cells from uterine lining may repair brain cells damaged by the disease.
In its research, a team at Yale University found that stem cells derived from the endometrium and transplanted into the brains of laboratory mice with Parkinson's disease could restore the functioning of brain cells damaged by the disease.
Although these are preliminary results, the findings increase the likelihood that endometrial tissue be harvested from women with Parkinson's disease and used to re-grow brain areas that have been damaged by the disease, according to lead scientist Hugh S Taylor.
Parkinson's disease is caused by a breakdown of dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brain stem. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that stimulates the motor neurons that in turn control muscles.
When dopamine production is reduced, the nerves aren't able to control movement or coordination.
And, because of their ability to divide into new cell types, stem cells could be the key to treating many different kinds of diseases, like Parkinson's, in which the body's own cells are damaged or depleted, the scientists say.
In fact, in their research, the scientists collected and cultured endometrial tissue from nine women, and verified that they could be transformed into dopamine-producing nerve cells like those in the brain.
"The dopamine levels in the mice increased once we transferred the endometrial stem cells into their brains. This is encouraging because women have a ready supply of stem cells that are easily obtained, can differentiate into other cell types. They may have great potential for treating multiple diseases," Taylor said.
Highlighting the benefits of using endometrial stem cells, he said that the ethical concerns surrounding the use of embryonic stem cells are eliminated when using adult stem cells.
And, according to him, endometrial stem cells are one of the best sources for generating neurons as they are less likely to be rejected than stem cells from other sources.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg of what we will be able to do with these cells. We believe these neurons are only the first of many cell types derived from endometrium that will be used to treat variety of diseases," Taylor said.
The findings have been published in the 'Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine'.
