Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation for Spinal Cord Injury: Current Status and Prospects

Abstract

Statement of Informed ConsentConsent was not required for this study as it is a review of previous studies.

Improved Efficacy of Delayed Treatment with Human Bone Marrow-Derived Stromal Cells Evaluated in Rats with Spinal Cord Injury

“…We hypothesize that the injected bmSCs are beneficial for reducing these pathological processes, because anti-inflammatory effects of these cells were observed in previous experiments, which included analysis in the next days after treatment [12,14]. In the chronic phase, remyelination of demyelinated axons, axonal regeneration, axonal sprouting, angiogenesis, and enhancement of neuronal plasticity have been suggested to be positively affected by bmSC treatment [22]. It appears, however, that effects do not last.…”

“…More recent data with i.v. injection of mesenchymal stem cells at 10 W post SCI indicate that cellular treatment can be beneficial even when a cystic cavity has already formed [21,22].…”

“…Since the primary outcome measure in this study was recovery of sensory-motor function, we supplemented the open field evaluation, which is the standard procedure in rat models of SCI [22,25], with sensory tests and kinematics analysis. For investigations of severe SCI we consider the open field evaluation of motor function with the BBB scale [26] to be the most comprehensive measure because it includes mobility at all hind limb joints, paw positioning on the ground, toe clearance, coordination between hind-and forelimbs, gait stability, and covers all phases of recovery from complete paralysis to normal gait.…”

“…Thus, therapeutic benefits of bmSCs application after SCI may be enhanced with a combination strategy that supports survival and integration of the injected cells. In the case of bmSC treatment in the chronic phase after SCI, a therapeutic benefit seems to be due to remyelination of surviving axons [21,22]. If this is the dominant effect, the treatment would depend on the sparing of axons within the spinal cord, and we would expect less or no functional benefit in cases of complete spinal cord transection.…”