Table 1.
Improving the stroke microenvironment via exercise, stem cells, and combination therapies.
| Type of Intervention (Exercise/Stem Cells/Exercise + Stem Cells) | Title, Author, Year | Stem Cell Variety | Significant Findings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exercise | Enforced physical training promotes neurogenesis in the subgranular zone after focal cerebral ischemia [277] | NSCs | Enforced physical training promotes neurogenesis in the SGZ after focal cerebral ischemia [277] |
| Exercise | Physical exercise regulates neural stem cells proliferation and migration via SDF-1α/CXCR4 pathway in rats after ischemic stroke [266] | NSCs | Exercise improved functional recovery by increasing NSC proliferation, migration from the SVZ and differentiation in the damaged striatum of MCAO occluded rats [266] |
| Exercise | Postischemic exercise attenuates whereas enriched environment has certain enhancing effects on lesion-induced subventricular zone activation in the adult rat [267] | NSCs | Exercise modulated the stroke induced increase in neural stem cell proliferation in the SVZ early after cortical infarction [267] |
| Exercise | Different exercises can modulate the differentiation/maturation of neural stem/progenitor cells after photochemically induced focal cerebral infarction [278] | NSCs | Exercise improved neuronal maturation and increased generation of endogenous NSCs [278] |
| Stem cell transplantation | Stem cell-paved biobridge facilitates neural repair in traumatic brain injury [45] | MSC | MSCs aided endogenous NSCs to the area of infarction, improved behavioral outcomes [45] |
| Stem cell exosome transplantation | Enhancement of angiogenesis and neurogenesis by intracerebroventricular injection of secretome from human embryonic stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells in ischemic stroke model [55] | MSC | MSCs transplantation suppresses inflammation, reduces cell death, promotes angiogenesis, and stimulates neurogenesis [55] |
| Stem cell transplantation | Activated Mesenchymal Stem Cells Induce Recovery Following Stroke Via Regulation of Inflammation and Oligodendrogenesis [56] | MSCs | MSCs lower overall inflammation, ameliorate potentially toxic environments, and increase neurotrophic factor release, enabling both endogenous NSC survival and function [56] |
| Exercise and stem cell transplantation | Treadmill exercise enhances therapeutic potency of transplanted bone mesenchymal stem cells in cerebral ischemic rats via anti-apoptotic effects [275] | MSCs | Treadmill exercise enhances the therapeutic potency of MSCs by improving neurological function and possibly inhibiting the apoptosis of neuron cells and transplanted MSCs [275] |
| Exercise and stem cell transplantation | Synergic Effects of Rehabilitation and Intravenous Infusion of Mesenchymal Stem Cells After Stroke in Rats [262] | MSCs | Both combined therapy and MSC infusion reduced lesion volume, induced synaptogenesis, and elicited functional improvement compared with the groups without MSC infusion, but the effect was greater in the combined therapy group [262] |
| Exercise and stem cell transplantation | Effects of the combined treatment of bone marrow stromal cells with mild exercise and thyroid hormone on brain damage and apoptosis in a mouse focal cerebral ischemia model [279] | MSCs | Decrease in infarct volume and decrease in apoptosis [279] |