Stem cell transplantation and functional recovery after spinal cord injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Spinal cord injury is a significant cause of motor dysfunctions. There is no definite cure for it, and most of the therapeutic modalities are only symptomatic treatment. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the effectiveness of stem cell therapy in the treatment of the spinal cord injuries in animal models was studied and evaluated. A systematic search through medical databases by using appropriate keywords was conducted. The relevant reports were reviewed in order to find out cases in which inclusion and exclusion criteria had been fulfilled. Finally, 89 articles have been considered, from which 28 had sufficient data for performing statistical analyses. The findings showed a significant improvement in motor functions after cell therapy. The outcome was strongly related to the number of transplanted cells, site of injury, chronicity of the injury, type of the damage, and the induction of immune-suppression. According to our data, improvements in functional recovery after stem cell therapy in the treatment of spinal cord injury in animal models was noticeable, but its outcome is strongly related to the site of injury, number of transplanted cells, and type of transplanted cells.

Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Therapeutic Strategies Based on 15 Types of Stem Cells in Animal Models

“…2) In the published studies, only the data of the endpoint of follow-up were selected for final analysis, which was difficult to test the therapeutic effect of stem cells in the whole process, and the endpoint of follow-up of different studies was quite different, so the rationality of the combination of results at different time points was questionable ( Oliveri et al, 2014 ; Yousefifard et al, 2016 ). 3) It has been suggested that the transplantation timing of stem cells was the key factor that determines their targeting effect ( Chhabra and Sarda, 2017a ), and the optimal transplantation dose and type of stem cells were major issues that promoted further development of stem cell therapy for SCI ( Abbaszadeh et al, 2018 ). Although nearly a thousand animal experiments of stem cell therapy for SCI have been published, including various stem cells and their transplantation doses, timings, and routes, few studies have explored which kind of dose, route, and timing of stem cells are the best for the treatment of SCI ( Zholudeva and Lane, 2019 ).…”

Clinical results in treatment of patients with spinal cord injuries, by transplantation of olfactory mucosa autografts: a case-series

“…Experimental data reveal that transplantation of olfactory mucosa following spinal cord injury promotes recovery in animal models [2]. New reviews and meta-analyses show significant functional recovery after stem cell transplantation in spinal cord injuries, while outcomes seem to be influenced by a large numbers of factors such as the number and type of transplanted cells, the site of injury, the chronicity of the injury, the type of the lesion, and the type and timing of immunosuppression [3].…”

Ibrutinib reduces neutrophil infiltration, preserves neural tissue and enhances locomotor recovery in mouse contusion model of spinal cord injury

“…Excessive inflammation ultimately leads to neural tissue destruction, cavity formation, scarring, and subsequent sensory and motor disturbances. Despite decades of intensive research to establish Original Article https://doi.org/10.5115/acb.20.299 pISSN 2093-3665 eISSN 2093-3673 effective therapeutic strategies in SCI, to date, no successful recuperation has yet been achieved [1,2].…”