Mesenchymal Stem Cells in the Complex Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Relevance. The problem of effective prevention and treatment of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) of various etiologies has not been resolved in all countries of the world. Primary brain damage from trauma initiates secondary damage to the nervous tissue. As a result, the interaction of brain neural networks is disrupted and the control of somatic and visceral functions of the body is weakened. The article is based on our own clinical observations and comparison of results with literature data and provides a discussion of the prospects for the use of cell technologies in the prevention of fatal disorders of vital functions control in traumatic brain injuries.
 Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of intranasal perineural implantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the complex therapy of patients with TBI.
 Materials and methods. The technique intranasal perineural administration of MSCs was used in complex therapy of 15 patients with severe TBI. The patients were 19÷69 years old, 13 men and two women. A cell suspension was isolated from the adipose tissue of the patient's abdominal wall and centrifuged for 10 min at 1500 rpm. The cell pellet was washed in phosphate buffered saline and DMEM. Cells were cultured in plastic culture flasks in a humidified atmosphere with 5% CO2 content. The cell mass was trypsinized according to standard technique and resuspended in physiological saline on the day of implantation. Dynamics of culture growth, pluripotency, phenotyping of MSCs were monitored. MSCs were injected under general anesthesia into the submucosa of the nasal cavity 3-4 times with an interval of 3-7 days, depending on the growth rate of MSCs, in a single dose from 12.0×106 to 35.0×106 cells.
 Results. The use of allogeneic and predominantly autologous MSCs of adipose tissue in the complex treatment of patients with severe TBI by intranasal perineural delivery to the area of traumatic brain injury does not cause complications and is a safe technique. 8 patients with severe TBI showed from 4 to 7 points according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended, with an average of 5.4±1.1 points after 6 months. The main result is that complex therapy, including intranasal implantation of MSCs in acute and subacute periods of severe TBI, contributes to the survival of patients and restoration of neurological – including cognitive – functions control.
 Conclusions. The effectiveness of intranasal perineural implantation of MSCs in the complex therapy of patients with TBI has been demonstrated. The mechanisms of the beneficial effects of perineural implantation of MSCs in patients with TBI require further research.