Application of Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Rat Spinal Cord Injury Model

Abstract

The treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI) is a hot topic in clinic. In this study, female rats were selected and randomly divided into four groups (normal, sham, SCI, and mesenchymal stem cells [MSCs] groups). Hemostatic forceps were used to clamp the spinal cord for 1 min to establish the SCI animal model in rats. The levels of proinflammatory factors in the blood of each group were compared 4 h after operation. The motor function of hind limb was estimated by Basso, Beattie & Bresnahan Locomotor rating scale (BBB scale) at 3 months after surgery, the spinal cord tissue from the experimental area was obtained and stained histologically and immunohistochemically. Basso, Beattie & Bresnahan Locomotor rating scale results indicated that human umbilical cord (HUC) MSCs transplantation could improve the walking ability in rats with the SCI. Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells substantially upregulated the secretion of anti-inflammatory factors and downregulated the secretion of proinflammatory factors, and promoted the repair of the SCI and inhibited the increase of glial cells induced by the SCI. Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells transplantation can partially recovered the motor ability of rats with the SCI through promoting the regeneration of nerve cell and the expression of neural related genes, and inhibiting inflammatory reaction.

Hydrogel-encapsulated extracellular vesicles for the regeneration of spinal cord injury

“…Transplantation of hUCMSCs and their EVs can promote SCI repair by attenuating inflammatory responses and promoting nerve regeneration. These neuroprotective properties of hUCMSCs were related to the activation of the PTEN/Akt/mTOR axis, decreased inflammatory cytokines, increased anti-inflammatory cytokines, and activation of M2 macrophages ( Bao et al, 2018 ; Xiao et al, 2021 ; Zhu et al, 2021 ; Sun et al, 2023 ). hUCMSCs derived exosomes encapsulated in fibrin glue resulted in nerve tissue regeneration as they reduced lesion volume, increased integrity, improved remyelination, a more abundant distribution of neurofilament proteins (indicators of mature neurons) in both the lesion and adjacent areas, and also significantly increased distribution of choline acetyltransferase (an indicator for cholinergic neurons).…”