Schwann-like cells seeded in acellular nerve grafts improve nerve regeneration

Abstract

BackgroundThis study evaluated whether Schwann-like cells (SLCs) induced from bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) transplanted into acellular nerve grafts (ANGs) could repair nerve defects compared with nerve isografts and ANGs with BM-MSCs.MethodsBM-MSCs extracted, separated and purified from the bone marrow of rats, and some of the BM-MSCs were cultured with mixed induction agents that could induce BM-MSCs into SLCs. Either SLCs or BM-MSCs were seeded onto 10-mm ANGs, and the isografts were chosen as the control. The walking-track test, tibialis anterior muscle weight measurement, electrophysiological examination, toluidine blue staining, transmission electron micrographs and immunostaining of S-100 and VEGF in these three groups were evaluated in a 10-mm rat sciatic injury-repair model.ResultsThe walking-track test, tibialis anterior muscle weight measurement and electrophysiological examination of the sciatic nerve suggested the groups of ANGs with SLCs and isografts obtained better results than the BM-MSC group (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the results of the SLCs and isograft groups were similar (P > 0.05). All the histomorphometric analyses (toluidine blue staining, transmission electron micrographs and immunostaining of S-100 and VEGF) showed that there were more regenerating nerve fibers in the group of ANGs with SLCs than the BM-MSCs (P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference between the SLC and isograft groups (P > 0.05).ConclusionsSLCs seeded in ANGs and isografts show better functional regeneration compared with BM-MSCs seeded in ANGs. Additionally, SLCs combined with ANGs present almost the same outcome as the isografts. Therefore, SLCs with ANGs can be a good choice in nerve defect repairs.

Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Regenerative Medicine

“…Compared with traditional protocols, SLCs obtained by intermittent induction secrete neurotrophic factors and promote axonal growth in vitro and more effectively repair rat sciatic nerve injury in vivo. Notably, SLCs seeded in acellular nerve grafts show better functional recovery as compared with MSCs [126]. BMSCs [111], ADSCs [127], and UCB-MSCs [128] have also been seeded onto a variety of biodegradable scaffolds, with almost all resulting in better recovery relative to controls.…”

The effect of co-transplantation of nerve fibroblasts and Schwann cells on peripheral nerve repair

“…Peripheral nerve defects remain an intractable challenge for researchers and always result in functional loss 1 - 3 . Peripheral nerve tissue engineering, in which nerve conduits and seeding cells such as Schwann cells (SCs), Schwann-like cells and stem cells are used, is currently considered a promising method 4 - 7 . Therefore, applications aimed at developing ideal seeding cells are a high priority in peripheral nerve regeneration research.…”

The Role of Schwann Cells in Peripheral Nerve Function, Injury, and Repair

“…The latter was partially associated with exosome and RNA transfer, as an important component of the secretome (Ching et al 2018). In preclinical studies, the performance of Schwann-like cells was evaluated as being comparable to native Schwann cells (e.g., when seeded into decellularized nerve grafts or chitosan conduits) (Fan et al 2014;Ao et al 2011;Wang et al 2012). Given the availability of Schwann-like cells differentiated from human waste material such as the adipose tissue or amniotic membrane, those cells provide a solid alternative for in vitro testing of, e.g., pharmaceuticals or potential nerve conduits, as well as for implantation to augment peripheral nerve regeneration.…”