Role of stem cell-based therapy in neurodegenerative, ocular, and cardiovascular diseases

Recent advancements in stem cell biology offer promise for treating patients suffering from previously untreatable diseases and disorders. Stem cell-based therapy is considered an essential aspect of regenerative medicine, with the primary objective of enhancing the body's repair machinery by regulating and modulating the endogenous stem cell pool toward tissue regeneration and homeostasis. In past decades, stem cell therapies based on human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) and multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as promising therapeutic strategies in regenerative medicine. The hPSCs possess the unlimited capacity for self-renewing, and they can differentiate into various cell types, including the three embryonic germ layers. In contrast, the MSCs are multipotent progenitor cells with limited self-renewal capacity and can differentiate into the mesenchymal lineages. Apart from their multilineage differentiation potential, the MSCs migrate toward the injury site in response to environmental cues and facilitate tissue regeneration by releasing the paracrine factors with pleiotropic effects. Besides, MSCs interact with the host niche to inhibit the immune system and promote cell survival. Recently, literature has highlighted the therapeutic impact of MSCs in treating various pathologies, including cardiovascular, immune, neurodegenerative, kidney, and orthopedic diseases. The current chapter will provide a detailed narrative of the hPSCs and MSCs-based stem cell therapies, their clinical applications, associated challenges, and prospects in treating human neurodegenerative, ocular, and cardiovascular diseases.