Chronic spinal cord injury functionally repaired by direct implantation of encapsulated hair-follicle-associated pluripotent (HAP) stem cells in a mouse model: Potential for clinical regenerative medicine

Chronic spinal cord injury is a debilitating condition with limited treatment options. This study explores the potential of hair-follicle-associated pluripotent (HAP) stem cells to repair chronic SCI. HAP stem cells, encapsulated in membranes, were implanted into the severed spinal cords of mice in the early chronic phase of injury. The implanted HAP stem cells differentiated into neurons and other types of cells that are needed for spinal cord function. The study found that mice implanted with HAP stem cells showed significant functional improvement compared to non-implanted mice, suggesting that HAP stem cells have clinical potential for SCI repair.

• 1
  HAP stem cells implanted into the severed spinal cord differentiated into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes in both C57BL/6J and nude mice.
• 2
  Motor function analysis demonstrated a significant functional improvement in HAP-stem-cell-implanted mice compared to non-implanted mice, as measured by the Basso Mouse Scale for Locomotion (BMS) score.
• 3
  H&E staining showed that the diameter of spinal cord was significantly larger in the C57BL/6J mice with implanted HAP stem cells compared to the untreated-control mice.