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. 2023 Sep 20;24(18):14349. doi: 10.3390/ijms241814349

Table 2.

Comparison of stem cell types for SCI treatment.

Stem Cell Type Advantages Challenges References
Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs)
  • -

    Pluripotent

  • -

    Can differentiate into all adult cell types
  • -

    Ethical concerns

  • -

    Risk of immune rejection

  • -

    Risk of tumor formation

 [52,56,57,58]
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs)
  • -

    Pluripotent

  • -

    Ethical concerns circumvented

  • -

    Can differentiate into various cell types
  • -

    Risk of tumor formation

  • -

    Potential genetic and epigenetic abnormalities

 [66,67,68,69]
Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs)
  • -

    Multipotent

  • -

    Immunomodulatory properties

  • -

    Secrete growth factors

  • -

    Easy to isolate and expand

  • -

    Lower risk of immune rejection and tumor formation
  • -

    Limited differentiation potential compared to ESCs and iPSCs

 [70,71,72,73,74,75]
Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells (NSPCs)
  • -

    Inherent ability to generate neural cells

  • -

    Promote functional recovery and reduce lesion size in preclinical studies

  • -

    Overcome ethical concerns and risks of tumor formation
  • -

    Source-dependent properties

 [76,77,78,79,80]