Arafat A, Soliman SMA, Farghaly TA, Ebrahim NAA. Exercise with induced pluripotent stem cells enhances Wnt1-Lmx1a signaling and dopaminergic neurogenesis to alleviate Parkinsonian symptoms. World J Stem Cells 2025; 17(12): 113924 [DOI: 10.4252/wjsc.v17.i12.113924]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Noura A A Ebrahim, Department of Oncologic Pathology, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, 1st Kasr Alainy Street, Cairo 11796, Al Qāhirah, Egypt. npathologist@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Biology
Article-Type of This Article
Letter to the Editor
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Stem Cells. Dec 26, 2025; 17(12): 113924 Published online Dec 26, 2025. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v17.i12.113924
Exercise with induced pluripotent stem cells enhances Wnt1-Lmx1a signaling and dopaminergic neurogenesis to alleviate Parkinsonian symptoms
Aya Arafat, Soliman Mehawed Abdellatif Soliman, Thoraya A Farghaly, Noura A A Ebrahim
Aya Arafat, Clinical and Chemical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine Cairo University, Cairo 11562, Al Qāhirah, Egypt
Soliman Mehawed Abdellatif Soliman, Thoraya A Farghaly, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo 12613, Al Qāhirah, Egypt
Thoraya A Farghaly, Department of Chemistry, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Noura A A Ebrahim, Department of Oncologic Pathology, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo 11796, Al Qāhirah, Egypt
Co-first authors: Aya Arafat and Soliman Mehawed Abdellatif Soliman.
Co-corresponding authors: Thoraya A Farghaly and Noura A A Ebrahim.
Author contributions: Arafat A and Soliman SMA contributed equally to this manuscript and are co-first authors. Arafat A, Soliman SMA, Farghaly TA, and Ebrahim NAA contributed to the manuscript writing and revision. Farghaly TA and Ebrahim NAA contributed equally to this manuscript and are co-corresponding authors.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Noura A A Ebrahim, Department of Oncologic Pathology, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, 1st Kasr Alainy Street, Cairo 11796, Al Qāhirah, Egypt. npathologist@gmail.com
Received: September 7, 2025 Revised: October 25, 2025 Accepted: December 3, 2025 Published online: December 26, 2025 Processing time: 109 Days and 14 Hours
Abstract
This article focused on the recent contribution by Jiang et al, who demonstrated that voluntary exercise can significantly potentiate the effects of induced pluripotent stem cell transplantation in a Parkinson’s disease (PD) model through activation of the Wnt1-Lmx1a signaling cascade. Jiang et al’s findings highlight the role of exercise as a molecular modulator of neurogenesis and support the development of integrated strategies combining physical activity, stem cell transplantation, and biomaterials to improve outcomes in PD. We highlight exercise as a molecular modulator that fosters a neurogenic milieu, recommend examining additional developmental signals (sonic hedgehog, fibroblast growth factor 8, bone morphogenetic protein), and suggest biomaterial-based strategies to support graft survival and integration. We also stress the need to optimize exercise regimens in relation to transplantation, framing these insights within a translational strategy for advancing regenerative therapies in PD.
Core Tip: This letter builds on Jiang et al’s recent findings that voluntary exercise enhances the therapeutic impact of induced pluripotent stem cell transplantation in Parkinson’s disease by activating the Wnt1-Lmx1a pathway. We highlight exercise as a molecular modulator that fosters a neurogenic milieu, recommend examining additional developmental signals (sonic hedgehog, fibroblast growth factor 8, bone morphogenetic protein), and suggest biomaterial-based strategies to support graft survival and integration. We also stress the need to optimize exercise regimens in relation to transplantation, framing these insights within a translational strategy for advancing regenerative therapies in Parkinson’s disease.
