In vivo astrocyte-to-neuron reprogramming for central nervous system regeneration: a narrative review

The review discusses the challenge of damaged neurons' inability to regenerate in the mature central nervous system (CNS). Astrocytes, crucial CNS components, participate in essential processes like blood-brain barrier formation and axon growth regulation. Recent studies show astrocytes can be transformed into functional neurons, offering potential for repairing neural function through endogenous cells. The focus has shifted to repairing neural function through endogenous cells due to ethical concerns and functional integration issues with stem cell transplantation. Studies have demonstrated that astrocytes can be transformed into neurons in disease models to replace damaged cells. However, the source of these new neurons remains a controversial topic. The review summarizes progress in reprogramming astrocytes into neurons in animal models of various neurological conditions. These include spinal cord injury, brain injury, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. The aim is to provide insights into the potential of astrocyte reprogramming for CNS regeneration.

• 1
  Astrocytes in the mature CNS can be reprogrammed into functional neurons in vivo, offering a potential avenue for nerve regeneration.
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  Overexpression of transcription factors like NeuroD1 and Sox2 can induce astrocyte-to-neuron conversion in animal models of CNS injury and neurodegenerative diseases.
• 3
  Lineage tracing studies are crucial to confirm that newly generated neurons originate from astrocytes and not other cell types like NG2 glial cells.