Acellular spinal cord scaffold seeded with mesenchymal stem cells promotes long-distance axon regeneration and functional recovery in spinal cord injured rats.

The stem cell-based experimental therapies are partially successful for the recovery of spinal cord injury (SCI). Recently, acellular spinal cord (ASC) scaffolds which mimic native extracellular matrix (ECM) have been successfully prepared. This study aimed at investigating whether the spinal cord lesion gap could be bridged by implantation of bionic-designed ASC scaffold alone and seeded with human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUCB-MSCs) respectively, and their effects on functional improvement. A laterally hemisected SCI lesion was performed in adult Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (n=36) and ASC scaffolds seeded with or without hUCB-MSCs were implanted into the lesion immediately. All rats were behaviorally tested using the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) test once a week for 8weeks. Behavioral analysis showed that there was significant locomotor recovery improvement in combined treatment group (ASC scaffold and ASC scaffold+hUCB-MSCs) as compared with the SCI only group (p<0.01). 5-Bromodeoxyuridine (Brdu)-labeled hUCB-MSCs could also be observed in the implanted ACS scaffold two weeks after implantation. Moreover, host neural cells (mainly oligodendrocytes) were able to migrate into the graft. Biotin-dextran-amine (BDA) tracing test demonstrated that myelinated axons successfully grew into the graft and subsequently promoted axonal regeneration at lesion sites. This study provides evidence for the first time that ASC scaffold seeded with hUCB-MSCs is able to bridge a spinal cord cavity and promote long-distance axon regeneration and functional recovery in SCI rats.

Liu J ，Chen J ，Liu B ，Yang C ，Xie D ，Zheng X ，Xu S ，Chen T ，Wang L ，Zhang Z ，Bai X ，Jin D ... -  《-》

Acellular spinal cord scaffold seeded with bone marrow stromal cells protects tissue and promotes functional recovery in spinal cord-injured rats.

Therapy using scaffolds seeded with stem cells plays an important role in repair of spinal cord injury (SCI), with the transplanted cells differentiating into nerve cells to replace the lost tissue while releasing neurotrophic factors that contribute to repair following SCI and enhance the function of the damaged nervous system. The present study investigated the ability to extend the survival time of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) to restore the damaged spinal cord and improve functional recovery by grafting acellular spinal cord (ASC) scaffold seeded or not with BMSCs in a rat model of acute hemisected SCI. BBB scores revealed that treatment with BMSCs seeded into ASC scaffold led to an obvious improvement in motor function recovery compared with treatment with ASC scaffold alone or untreated controls. This improvement was evident at 2 and 8 weeks after surgery (P < 0.05). When BMSCs labeled with 5-bromodeoxyuridine were implanted together with ASC scaffold into the injured sites, they differentiated into glial cells, and some BMSCs could be observed within the graft by immunofluorescent staining at 8 weeks after implantation. Evaluation of caspase-3 activation suggested that the graft group was able to reduce apoptosis compared with SCI alone at 8 weeks after operation (P < 0.05). This study suggests that ASC scaffolds have the ability to enhance BMSC survival and improve differentiation and could also reduce native damaged nerve tissue apoptosis, thus protecting host tissue as well as improving functional recovery after implantation.

Chen J ，Zhang Z ，Liu J ，Zhou R ，Zheng X ，Chen T ，Wang L ，Huang M ，Yang C ，Li Z ，Yang C ，Bai X ，Jin D ... -  《-》

HPMA-RGD hydrogels seeded with mesenchymal stem cells improve functional outcome in chronic spinal cord injury.

Hejcl A ，Sedý J ，Kapcalová M ，Toro DA ，Amemori T ，Lesný P ，Likavcanová-Mašínová K ，Krumbholcová E ，Prádný M ，Michálek J ，Burian M ，Hájek M ，Jendelová P ，Syková E ... -  《-》

Human neural stem cells promote corticospinal axons regeneration and synapse reformation in injured spinal cord of rats.

Liang P ，Jin LH ，Liang T ，Liu EZ ，Zhao SG ... -  《CHINESE MEDICAL JOURNAL》

Transplantation of human umbilical cord blood or amniotic epithelial stem cells alleviates mechanical allodynia after spinal cord injury in rats.

Roh DH ，Seo MS ，Choi HS ，Park SB ，Han HJ ，Beitz AJ ，Kang KS ，Lee JH ... -  《-》