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The effects of melatonin combined with exercise on proliferation and differentiation of endogenous neural stem/progenitor cells(SPCs) after spinal cord injury
Author(s) -
Lee Youngjeon,
Park Kanghui,
Hong Yunkyung,
Kim Sunmi,
Lee SangRae,
Kim Ekyune,
Chang KyuTae,
Hong Yonggeun
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.25.1_supplement.651.16
Studies have shown that contusive spinal cord injury (SCI) resulted in increased endogenous proliferating cells in murines during acute phase, which contribute to replace mature cells lost in the initial injury phase. Previously, we have shown that melatonin treatment combined with exercise have synergistic effect on the functional recovery after SCI. To determine whether this beneficial response is associated with increased endogenous stem/progenitor cells (SPCs), we further investigated the effects of melatonin treatment (M) or melatonin combined with exercise (ME) by using behavior test and RT‐PCR, western blot or immunohistochemical studies on Oct4, MAP2, nestin, GFAP, NG2 and BrdU. At 3 weeks after injury, in the population of proliferating and immature neurons were increased in both M and ME groups. Nestin, a neural precursor cell marker was increased in the ME group with improvement of behavioral recovery. But, numerous nestin‐positive cells were not expressing GFAP, an astrocytes marker. These results suggest that synergistic effect of melatonin combined exercise underlie the mechanism that endogenous progenitor cells are stimulated to proliferate and differentiate to neuronal cell for support functional recovery in SCI.