Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Combined with Nano-Hydrogel Promote Functional Recovery after Spinal Cord Injury in Rats

Biology, 2022 · DOI: 10.3390/biology11050781 · Published: May 20, 2022

Spinal Cord Injury Regenerative Medicine Neurology

Simple Explanation

Nerve regeneration and functional recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI) are worldwide problems. Scientists have achieved encouraging results in the repair of spinal cord injuries using natural or synthetic materials. In this paper, we report that nano-hydrogel combined with human adipose-derived stem cells regulate the inﬂammatory microenvironment, protect neurons and axons, and promote motor function recovery. In addition, three proteins related to neuronal and axonal growth were screened by Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. These results provide evidence for clinical treatment of spinal cord injury.

Study Duration

10 weeks

Participants

Female Sprague Dawley (SD) rats (weight: 220–250 g)

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
ADSCs+RADA16-RGD could improve neuron survival and promote axonal growth.
2
The ADSC survival rate in the ADSCs+RADA16-RGD group at 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks was signiﬁcantly higher than that in the ADSCs group at 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks.
3
From 3 to 10 weeks, the ADSCs+RADA16-RGD group’s BBB score increased signiﬁcantly when compared with those of the PBS, ADSCs, and RADA16-RGD groups

Research Summary

The treatment of spinal cord injury aims to reconstruct the ﬁber connection and restore the interrupted neural pathways. Our results indicate that the combined transplantation of human ADSCs with RADA16-RGD improved the survival of ADSCs at the injured site. The functional behaviors were promoted, as determined by the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor rating scale score and electrophysiological measurements.

Practical Implications

Improved Cell Survival

The combined transplantation of ADSCs with RADA16-RGD enhances ADSC survival at the injury site, crucial for effective therapy.

Enhanced Functional Recovery

Treatment with ADSCs+RADA16-RGD significantly improves motor function recovery post-SCI, offering a promising therapeutic strategy.

Inhibition of Inflammation

The approach reduces inflammation, protects neurons and promotes nerve fiber growth, key factors for SCI repair.

Study Limitations

1
The mechanism by which the transplanted adipose stem cells interact with the endogenous cells to promote spinal cord nerve regeneration remains unclear.
2
Few NeuN+ or ChAT+ neurons survived within 3 mm of the injury center, which may be because the intervention was performed 14 days after the injury.
3
The degree of myelination is related to time. In future studies, we intend to extend the experiment to exclude the effect of time on axon myelination.

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