Spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the most devastating injuries for patients. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is an important neurotrophic factor for the regeneration of the spinal neuraxial bundle, but GDNF would degrade rapidly if the protein was injected into the site of injury; thus, it cannot exert its fullest effects. Therefore, we introduced a delivery system of GDNF, poly(lactide-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) delayed-release microspheres, in the current study and observed the effect of PLGA-GDNF and the combination of PLGA-GDNF and another 2 agents PLGA-chondroitinase ABC (ChABC) and PLGA-Nogo A antibody in the treatment of SCI rats. Our results showed that PLGA-GDNF and the combination of chABC, GDNF, and Nogo A antibody microspheres could elevate the locomotor scores of SCI rats. The effect of PLGA-GDNF was much better than that of GDNF. The cortical somatosensory evoked potential was also improved by PLGA-GDNF and the combination of chABC, GDNF, and Nogo A antibody microspheres. Our results suggest that PLGA delayed-release microsphere may be a useful and effective tool in delivering protein agents into the injury sites of patients with SCI. This novel combination therapy may provide a new idea in promoting the functional recovery of the damaged spinal cord.
ABSTRACT. This study sought to observe the effect of the combination of edaravone and neural stem cell (NSC) transplantation on the repair of complete spinal cord transection in rats. Eighty adult female SpragueDawley (SD) rats were used to establish the injury model of complete spinal cord transection at T9. Animals were divided randomly into four groups (N = 20 each): control, edaravone, transplantation, and edaravone + transplantation. The recovery of spinal function was evaluated with the Basso, Beattie, Bresnahan (BBB) rating scale on days 1, 3, and 7 each week after the surgery. After 8 weeks, the BBB scores of the control, edaravone, transplantation, and combination groups were 4.21 ± 0.11, 8.46 ± 0.1, 8.54 ± 0.13, and 11.21 ± 0.14, respectively. At 8 weeks after surgery, the spinal cord was collected; the survival and transportation of transplanted cells were observed with PKH-26 labeling, and the regeneration and distribution of spinal nerve fibers with fluorescent-gold (FG) retrograde tracing. Five rats died due to the injury. PKH-26-labeled NSCs had migrated into the spinal cord. A few intact nerve fibers and pyramidal neurons passed the injured area in the transplantation and combination groups. The numbers Edaravone and neural stem cell transplantation in SCI 19137©FUNPEC-RP www.funpecrp.com.br Genetics and Molecular Research 14 (4): 19136-19143 (2015) of PKH-26-labeled cells and FG-labeled nerve fibers were in the order: combination group > edaravone group and transplantation group > control group (P < 0.05 for each). Thus, edaravone can enhance the survival and differentiation of NSCs in injured areas; edaravone with NSC transplantation can improve the effectiveness of spinal cord injury repair in rats.
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