Erythropoietin facilitates the recruitment of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells to sites of spinal cord injury

This study investigates whether erythropoietin (EPO) can improve the effectiveness of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) transplantation for spinal cord injuries (SCI) in rats. Rats with SCI were treated with either BMSCs alone or BMSCs combined with EPO. The results showed that the combination therapy improved neurological recovery compared to BMSC treatment alone. The study also found that EPO increased the migration of BMSCs to the injury site, reduced cell death, and increased the expression of growth factors that promote nerve repair.

• 1
  EPO enhances the recruitment of BMSCs to sites of SCI, leading to increased BMSC presence at the injury site.
• 2
  The combination of EPO and BMSCs significantly increases the expression of VEGF and BDNF, which are crucial for angiogenesis and neuronal survival.
• 3
  EPO promotes the anti-apoptotic effect of BMSCs, leading to reduced cell death at the SCI site.