Electrical stimulation affects the differentiation of transplanted regionally specific human spinal neural progenitor cells (sNPCs) after chronic spinal cord injury

This study investigates a combined therapy for chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) using human spinal neural progenitor cells (sNPCs) and tail nerve electrical stimulation (TANES). The goal was to see if electrical stimulation could help the transplanted cells integrate better into the injured spinal cord and promote recovery. The researchers transplanted sNPCs into rats with chronic spinal cord injuries and then applied TANES. They then looked at how the sNPCs differentiated (what types of cells they turned into) and how well they integrated into the spinal cord tissue. The findings suggest that electrical stimulation can indeed influence the fate of the transplanted sNPCs, encouraging them to become oligodendrocytes (cells that produce myelin) and form connections with existing neurons. This combined approach may offer a new way to promote recovery after SCI.

• 1
  TANES promoted a significantly higher number of sNPCs migrating away from the site of injection and influenced long-distance axonal/dendritic projections, especially in the rostral direction.
• 2
  TANES resulted in more transplanted cells differentiating into oligodendrocytes compared with no TANES treatment, and more myelin was found.
• 3
  Rats transplanted with sNPCs in combination with TANES resulted in an increase in serotonergic fibers in the lumbar region, suggesting TANES contributes to integration of sNPCs.