Objective To review recent studies concerning the origins of skin-derived precursors （SKPs）, their differentiation characteristics, and their potential application in neural regenerative medicine. Data sources Data were retrieved from studies reported in PubMed published between April, 1974 and June, 2012. The search terms used were ＂skin-derived precursors＂, ＂stem cells＂, and ＂neural diseases＂. Study selection Articles were included in the review if they were relevant to SKPs as stem cells, as well as their applications in neural regenerative medicine, such as in the treatment of spinal cord injury, Parkinson＇s disease, spinal muscular atrophy and Shah-Waardenburg syndrome. Results SKPs are a novel population of neural crest-derived precursors that arise during embryogenesis and persist into adulthood. They can generate both neural cells and mesodermal lineage cells （including smooth muscle cells and adipocytes）. Compared with other stem cells, SKPs are abundant in adult skin, can differentiate easily into neural cells, and are not associated with any ethical controversies. Conclusion SKPs may provide an alternative source of stem cells to embryonic stem cells for transplantation therapy for neurological diseases.
目的:研究超顺磁性氧化铁(superpara-magnetic iron oxide,SPIO)标记干细胞的效率及其在磁共振活体示踪中的应用价值。方法:以3-氨丙基三乙氧基硅烷(APTS)修饰Fe2O3配制成SPIO,用SPIO转染标记骨髓间充质干细胞(MSCs),对标记后的MSCs行普鲁士蓝染色鉴定、MTT测试细胞相对数量。最后将标记后的MSCs移植入大鼠脑内,磁共振(MRI)扫描示踪显示。结果:普鲁士蓝染色可直接显示SPIO高效率标记MSCs,MTT测试表明SPIO标记对MSCs增殖数量及其活力无明显影响,MRI检查发现脑内移植的SPIO标记MSCs在T2上呈明显的低信号。结论:APTS修饰Fe2O3配制而成的新型SPIO对细胞无明显毒性,没有多聚赖氨酸(PLL)等转染剂仍可直接高效率标记MSCs,MRI活体显影示踪效果良好。
