Stem Cell Behavior at Hypothermia: A Review Article

Temperature is a fundamental factor that affects many functions and structural aspects of physiological systems. Despite its importance, few studies have been performed so far for investigating the compartments and mechanisms engaged in the response of cellular systems to temperature perturbation. In this review, focusing on stem cells, we tried to perform a literature review for investigating the possible ways through which the temperature reduction (hypothermia) affects stem cell function and behavior. Besides, using the obtained results of this investigation, the possible mechanisms are proposed. The survey indicates that profound hypothermia enhances cell adhesion by increasing the stability of E-cadherins. Furthermore, mild hypothermia increases stem cell survival by reducing oxidative stress and prevents apoptosis via the overexpression of anti-apoptotic heat shock proteins. Mild-hypothermia also promotes cell proliferation by affecting gene expression in several ways. Even though it seems that hypothermia generally reduced stem cell differentiation, some inconsistencies are observed between obtained results from the literature. Based on the obtained results, mechanisms responsible for the temperature effect of hypothermia in profound and mild ranges are given that might help the researcher in real experiments.