Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2020, Vol. 15 ›› Issue (7): 1179-1190.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.270294

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Fast-tracking regenerative medicine for traumatic brain injury

Brooke Bonsack# , Matt Heyck# , Chase Kingsbury# , Blaise Cozene, Nadia Sadanandan, Jea-Young Lee, Cesar V. Borlongan*
#br#
  

  1. Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA
  • Online:2020-07-15 Published:2020-09-11
  • Contact: Cesar V. Borlongan, PhD, cborlong@health.usf.edu. E-mail:cborlong@health.usf.edu
  • Supported by:
    CVB was funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01NS071956, NIH R01NS090962, NIH R21NS089851, NIH R21NS094087,
    and Veterans Affairs Merit Review I01 BX001407.

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Abstract:

Traumatic brain injury remains a global health crisis that spans all demographics, yet there exist limited treat
ment options that may effectively curtail its lingering symptoms. Traumatic brain injury pathology entails a
progression from primary injury to inflammation-mediated secondary cell death. Sequestering this inflam
mation as a means of ameliorating the greater symptomology of traumatic brain injury has emerged as an
attractive treatment prospect. In this review, we recapitulate and evaluate the important developments relating
to regulating traumatic brain injury-induced neuroinflammation, edema, and blood-brain barrier disintegra
tion through pharmacotherapy and stem cell transplants. Although these studies of stand-alone treatments
have yielded some positive results, more therapeutic outcomes have been documented from the promising
area of combined drug and stem cell therapy. Harnessing the facilitatory properties of certain pharmaceu
ticals with the anti-inflammatory and regenerative effects of stem cell transplants creates a synergistic effect
greater than the sum of its parts. The burgeoning evidence in favor of combined drug and stem cell therapies
warrants more elaborate preclinical studies on this topic in order to pave the way for later clinical trials.

Key words: clinical trials, combined therapy, inflammatory cascade, neuroinflammation, neuroprotection, neurotrauma, pharmacotherapy, preclinical studies, secondary cell death, stem cells