Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder. The pathology of AD is characterized by extracellular amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques, neurofibrillary tangles composed of hyperphosphorylated tau, neuronal death, synapse loss, and brain atrophy. Many therapies have been tested to improve or at least effectively modify the course of AD. Meaningful data indicate that the transplantation of stem cells can alleviate neuropathology and significantly ameliorate cognitive deficits in animal models with Alzheimer's disease. Transplanted stem cells have shown their inherent advantages in improving cognitive impairment and memory dysfunction, although certain weaknesses or limitations need to be overcome. This review recapitulates rodent models for AD, the therapeutic efficacy of stem cells, influencing factors, and the underlying mechanisms behind these changes. Stem cell therapy provides perspective and challenges for its clinical application in the future.
Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; animal model; cognitive deficits; memory loss; stem cell therapy.
© 2022 The Authors. Animal Models and Experimental Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of The Chinese Association for Laboratory Animal Sciences.