Premium
Collagen scaffold combined with human umbilical cord‐derived mesenchymal stem cells promote functional recovery after scar resection in rats with chronic spinal cord injury
Author(s) -
Wang Nuo,
Xiao Zhifeng,
Zhao Yannan,
Wang Bin,
Li Xing,
Li Jing,
Dai Jianwu
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.835
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1932-7005
pISSN - 1932-6254
DOI - 10.1002/term.2450
Subject(s) - mesenchymal stem cell , remyelination , medicine , spinal cord injury , regeneration (biology) , umbilical cord , lesion , glial scar , spinal cord , pathology , stem cell , surgery , anatomy , central nervous system , biology , myelin , microbiology and biotechnology , psychiatry
Effective therapeutic strategies for treating chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) are currently unavailable. Scar tissue in the lesion area is a main inhibitory factor for axonal regeneration and repair of chronic SCI. In this study, scar tissue was surgically resected from adult rats with 12 week chronic SCI and then collagen scaffold (NeuroRegen Scaffold; NRS) and human umbilical cord‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC‐MSCs) were implanted into the resected cavity to repair chronic SCI. The results demonstrated that the locomotor function of rats was not affected by surgical scar resection, indicating its safety in treating chronic SCI. Implanting NRS and hUC‐MSCs promoted locomotion in rats and improved cortical motor‐ and somatosensory‐evoked potentials. Furthermore, implanting NRS and hUC‐MSCs promoted neurofilament‐ and β‐tubulin‐III‐positive neural regeneration and remyelination, elicited β‐tubulin‐III‐positive neuron production in the lesion area and blocked astrocyte growth outside the lesion area. In conclusion, implanting NRS in combination with hUC‐MSCs provided a beneficial microenvironment for neural regeneration, showing significant therapeutic effects for chronic SCI.