A Therapeutic Strategy for Spinal Cord Defect: Human Dental Follicle Cells Combined with Aligned PCL/PLGA Electrospun Material

BioMed Research International, 2015 · DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/197183 · Published: January 1, 2015

Spinal Cord Injury Regenerative Medicine Biomedical

Simple Explanation

This study explores a new way to repair spinal cord damage by using cells from dental follicles (DFCs) combined with a special material. DFCs are special because they can turn into different types of cells, including nerve cells. The material, called aligned electrospun PCL/PLGA, acts like a bridge to support the spinal cord structure and help the DFCs grow in the right direction. The researchers tested this approach in rats with spinal cord injuries. The results showed that the material allowed nerve fibers to pass through, and the DFCs could turn into cells that help protect nerve fibers. This suggests that this method could be a promising option for treating spinal cord injuries.

Study Duration

8 weeks

Participants

16 adult female Sprague-Dawley rats (250–300 g)

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
Human dental follicle cells (hDFCs) can be induced to express neurogenic markers and are a potential resource for neural regeneration.
2
Aligned electrospun PCL/PLGA material (AEM) supports hDFCs adhesion and proliferation and does not induce cytotoxicity.
3
hDFCs seeded on AEM, when transplanted into rats with spinal cord defects, can express oligodendrogenic lineage marker Olig2 in vivo, suggesting a contribution to remyelination.

Research Summary

The study investigates the potential of human dental follicle cells (hDFCs) combined with aligned electrospun PCL/PLGA material (AEM) as a therapeutic strategy for spinal cord defects (SCD). In vitro results demonstrated that hDFCs can be induced towards neurogenic differentiation, and AEM supports hDFCs adhesion and proliferation without cytotoxicity. In vivo experiments showed that AEM allows nerve fibers to pass through the defect, and implanted hDFCs express oligodendrogenic markers, suggesting a role in remyelination, although functional recovery was not statistically significant.

Practical Implications

Cellular Resource

hDFCs can be considered as a practical cellular resource for the treatment of spinal cord defects due to their neuroregenerative abilities and ease of procurement.

Biomaterial Scaffold

Aligned electrospun fibers can serve as a supportive scaffold for spinal cord structure, inducing cell polarity and permitting nerve fiber passage.

Therapeutic Strategy

The combined strategy of hDFCs and AEM offers an alternative proposal for spinal cord regeneration studies, potentially leading to improved treatments for spinal cord injuries.

Study Limitations

1
The study did not achieve statistically significant functional recovery in the rat model.
2
The sample size for behavior observation was relatively small, potentially affecting the statistical significance of the results.
3
Control of the lateral spinal cord defect model was challenging, leading to potential inconsistencies in the lesion size.

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