Attenuating Spinal Cord Injury by Conditioned Medium from Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2019 · DOI: 10.3390/jcm8010023 · Published: December 25, 2018

Spinal Cord Injury Regenerative Medicine Neurology

Simple Explanation

Spinal cord injuries are devastating, and current treatments aren't fully effective. This research explores using conditioned medium from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCcm) as a cell-free treatment for spinal cord injury. The study found that MSCcm can help nerve cells connect and survive in lab cultures, even after damage caused by oxygen and glucose deprivation. This suggests MSCcm has protective qualities. In rats with spinal cord injuries, MSCcm injections improved their ability to move and increased the density of nerve fibers at the injury site. This indicates MSCcm can promote spinal cord repair and recovery.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

Adult female SD rats

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
MSC coculture extensively induced neurite outgrowth in cortical neuron–glial cultures.
2
MSCcm treatment upregulated the protein levels of Olig 2 and HSP70 and also increased autophage-related proteins in the injured spinal cords.
3
MSCcm-treated rats maintained signiﬁcantly higher levels of BBB scores, indicating functional recovery, throughout 6 weeks postinjury.

Research Summary

This study investigates the potential of conditioned medium from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCcm) as a cell-free therapy for spinal cord injury (SCI). The results demonstrate that MSCcm promotes neuronal connection and protects against oxygen-glucose deprivation-induced damage in vitro. In vivo, MSCcm treatment improves behavioral recovery in SCI rats and increases axon density at the lesion site. The study suggests that MSCcm treatment promotes spinal cord repair and functional recovery, possibly via activation of autophagy and enhancement of survival-related proteins.

Practical Implications

Cell-Free Therapy

MSCcm offers a potential alternative to cell-based therapies, which can be more complex and have limitations related to cell survival and differentiation.

Neuroprotection and Regeneration

MSCcm provides neuroprotective effects, promotes axon regeneration, and enhances functional recovery after spinal cord injury.

Clinical Amenability

Systemic administration of MSCcm is clinically more amenable than intrathecal delivery, making it a more practical therapeutic approach.

Study Limitations

1
The study does not fully elucidate the underlying mechanisms of MSCcm's therapeutic effects.
2
The specific components in MSCcm responsible for the observed benefits are not fully identified.
3
Further research is needed to determine the optimal dosage and timing of MSCcm administration for SCI treatment.

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