Co-Transplantation of Mesenchymal and Neural Stem Cells and Overexpressing Stromal-Derived Factor-1 for Treating Spinal Cord Injury.

This study utilized a combinational treatment consisting of MSCs, NSCs, and the forced overexpression of the chemokine stromal-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) from MSCs (SDF-1-MSCs), to treat a rat model of SCI. Transplants occurred at 9-days post-injury, and motor functions were evaluated for 7-weeks post-injury. White matter sparing and axon densities surrounding the lesions were quantified. Findings from this study demonstrate that co-transplanting SDF-1-MSCs with NSCs can improve motor functions and enhance axon densities surrounding the lesion. However, no improvements in white matter sparing were found. Tumors were found in some of the animals that received co-transplantations with either SDF-1-MSCs and NSCs or unmodified-MSCs and NSCs, but no tumors were found in any animal treated with a single cell type alone. Nonetheless, this study offers evidence that providing SDF-1 to NSCs, through the forced expression from MSCs, can enhance the therapeutic potential of the graft. PMID: 28734802 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Brain Research - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Brain Res Source Type: research