Radiation therapy is a standard and effective non-surgical treatment for primary brain tumors and metastases. However, this strategy inevitably results in damage of normal brain tissue, causing severe complications, especially the late-delayed cognitive impairment. Due to the multifactorial and complex pathological effects of radiation, there is a lack of effective preventative and restorative treatments for the irradiated brain. Stem-cell therapy has held considerable promise for decades in the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders because of its unique capacity for tissue repair and functional integrity. Currently, there is growing interest in using stem cells as a novel option to attenuate the adverse effects of irradiation. In the present review, we discuss recent studies evaluating stem-cell therapies for the irradiated brain and their therapeutic effects on ameliorating radiation-related brain injury as well as their potential challenges in clinical applications. We discuss these works in context of the pathogenesis of radiation-induced injury to CNS tissue in an attempt to elucidate the potential mechanisms of engrafted stem cells to reverse radiation-induced degenerative processes.

中文翻译：

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干细胞疗法作为辐射诱发性脑损伤的潜在策略。

放射疗法是针对原发性脑部肿瘤和转移的一种标准且有效的非手术疗法。然而，这种策略不可避免地导致正常脑组织的损害，从而引起严重的并发症，尤其是迟发性认知障碍。由于辐射的多种因素和复杂的病理作用，因此缺乏对被辐射脑部的有效预防和恢复治疗。由于干细胞疗法具有独特的组织修复能力和功能完整性，因此在中枢神经系统（CNS）疾病的治疗方面拥有数十年的发展前景。当前，使用干细胞作为减轻辐射不良影响的新选择越来越引起人们的兴趣。在目前的评论中，我们讨论了评估辐照脑干细胞疗法及其对减轻与辐射有关的脑损伤的治疗效果及其在临床应用中潜在挑战的最新研究。我们在辐射诱导的中枢神经系统损伤的发病机理的背景下讨论这些工作，以试图阐明植入的干细胞逆转辐射诱导的退化过程的潜在机制。