Transplantation of Embryonic Spinal Cord Derived Cells Helps to Prevent Muscle Atrophy after Peripheral Nerve Injury

Abstract

Injuries to peripheral nerves are frequent in serious traumas and spinal cord injuries. In addition to surgical approaches, other interventions, such as cell transplantation, should be considered to keep the muscles in good condition until the axons regenerate. In this study, E14.5 rat embryonic spinal cord fetal cells and cultured neural progenitor cells from different spinal cord segments were injected into transected musculocutaneous nerve of 200–300 g female Sprague Dawley (SD) rats, and atrophy in biceps brachii was assessed. Both kinds of cells were able to survive, extend their axons towards the muscle and form neuromuscular junctions that were functional in electromyographic studies. As a result, muscle endplates were preserved and atrophy was reduced. Furthermore, we observed that the fetal cells had a better effect in reducing the muscle atrophy compared to the pure neural progenitor cells, whereas lumbar cells were more beneficial compared to thoracic and cervical cells. In addition, fetal lumbar cells were used to supplement six weeks delayed surgical repair after the nerve transection. Cell transplantation helped to preserve the muscle endplates, which in turn lead to earlier functional recovery seen in behavioral test and electromyography. In conclusion, we were able to show that embryonic spinal cord derived cells, especially the lumbar fetal cells, are beneficial in the treatment of peripheral nerve injuries due to their ability to prevent the muscle atrophy.

Impact of shoulder subluxation on peripheral nerve conduction and function of hemiplegic upper extremity in stroke patients: A retrospective, matched-pair study

“…In addition, the results of the current study demonstrated that post-stroke patients with the occurrence of the SS may aggravate the damage of the HUE nerves which could impact the functional recovery of the HUE. Previous studies [25,26] have suggested that long-term denervation can lead to muscular dystrophy and irreversible loss of neuromuscular junctions. Therefore, combining with the results of the current study, the authors speculate that if the prevention strategies of the SS are carried out in the early stage of stroke, it could reduce the degree of the HUE nerve damage.…”

MiR-7 inhibited peripheral nerve injury repair by affecting neural stem cells migration and proliferation through cdc42

“…In recent years, cell transplantation approaches are being used in experimental models of peripheral nerve injury to enhance nerve regeneration. Transplantation of Schwann cells, 19 olfactory ensheathing cells, 20 embryonic spinal cord-derived cells, 21 nestin-positive hair follicle pluripotent stem cells, 22 and so on were reported to be beneficial to the regenerative process because they could secrete chemokines and arrange along with the long axis of the nerve fibers to guide extension of regenerative axon to target structure. NSCs are a distinct group of cells present in the embryonic and adult mammalian central nervous system (CNS) that can self-renew and give rise to the major cell types of the CNS, such as neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes.…”

Nerve Root Reimplantation in Brachial Plexus Injuries

“…Moreover, the distance to cover by the regenerating axons from the SC avulsion site to the muscular end plates is so long that by the time the axons reach their destination, the muscles are atrophic and fibrotic [20,128]. To avoid and delay this muscle atrophy as much as possible, several strategies have been attempted: manipulating the molecular pathways involved in muscle atrophy [129][130][131], nerve transfers from neighboring functioning nerves [132][133][134][135][136], direct electrical stimulation of the affected muscles [137][138][139] and neuronal transplantation inside the denervated muscle [20,[140][141][142]. In rats, the combination of GDNF at the SC-NR injury site and embryonic spinal foetal neuron transplant inside the target muscles provided the best possible functional result [20].…”