Safe Reversal of Motor and Sensory Deficits by Repeated High Doses of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in a Patient with Chronic Complete Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract

Unusual clinical course Background:Spinal cord injuries (SCI) resulting from various types of accidents have a known onset, unlike other progressive neurological diseases. Nonetheless, in most cases, the resulting disability permanently affects the individual's quality of life due to the limited outcome of available treatment options. The neurological deficit associated with SCI results from primary injury induced by the physical trauma and secondary injury involving inflammation, spinal tissue degeneration, and scar formation. Stem cells of different origins and using different treatment protocols have been tried to minimize aspects of secondary injury in the spinal cord. Case Report:In this case report, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of intrathecal injections of Wharton's Jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) in a patient with chronic traumatic complete SCI. The findings indicated that the treatment was safe with no serious adverse events related to the procedure or administration of stem cells. The long-term follow-up period showed sustained sensory and motor function improvements with enhanced quality of life scores. Conclusions:The results imply a potential role of WJ-MSC in the treatment of chronic and severe SCI. As indicated by previous studies, the mechanism of action points mainly to the ability of MSCs to protect the neural elements that survived the initial mechanical insult by modulating the immune response and promoting neuronal regeneration.

Functional recovery of a 41-year-old quadriplegic spinal cord injury patient following multiple intravenous infusions of autologous adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells: a case report

“…Although clinical evidence for the safety of adMSC remains limited (13, 14), multiple pre-clinical studies demonstrated safety of adMSCs in animal models of SCI (20,22). Furthermore, clinical implication of safety of MSCs derived from various other sources for the treatment of patients with SCI had been previously suggested, without any indications of any significant adverse events observed across multiple routes of administration (15, [23][24][25].…”

The Role of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells and Their Products in the Treatment of Injured Spinal Cords

“…Even multiple administrations of MSCs did not cause adverse events. Even in a patient with chronic complete spinal cord injury who received six doses of MCSs, there was an improvement in sensory and motor functions, which resulted in a better quality of life for the patient himself [ 60 ].…”