Research progress of SDF-1α/CXCR4 axis in the treatment of ischemic stroke with stem cells

Stroke is the leading cause of death in Chinese currently, characterized by high incidence, high morbidity and high mortality, of which ischemic stroke accounted for 87%. However, it still lacks the ideal treatment. Stem cells are a class of cells with self-renewal ability and high differentiation potential. Stem cell transplantation breaks the irreversibility of nerve injury to post-stroke infarct area. However, stem cells also requiring specific chemokines to promote their directional migration to the injured tissue site after transplanted. Stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) is one of the typical chemokines. SDF-1α and its specific receptor CXCR4 can induce its migration, increase its proliferation and promote angiogenesis. In this paper, the role of SDF-1α/CXCR4 axis in the treatment of ischemic stroke in stem cells is reviewed in order to provide a theoretical basis for enhancing the efficacy of stem cell transplantation in the treatment of ischemic stroke.