In vivo neural tissue engineering using adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells and fibrin matrix

The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 2023 · DOI: 10.1080/10790268.2021.1930369 · Published: April 1, 2023

Spinal Cord Injury Regenerative Medicine Biomedical

Simple Explanation

This study explores using a fibrin hydrogel for in vivo progenitor cell delivery to aid post-transplant survival/differentiation in spinal cord injuries. The study proposes using an insoluble cell-specific fibrin niche for in vitro differentiation of rat ADMSCs to neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs). The study demonstrated fibrin niche aided stable differentiation of rat ADMSCs into neural progenitors. The in vitro experiments analyzed for differentiation-specific markers to establish derivation of rADMSCs to rNPCs and rOPCs. The derived progenitors, tagged with fluorescent tracker dye were delivered in rat T10 contusion SCI using fibrin hydrogel. After 28 days, imaged the experiment site to determine cell survival, immunostained the tissues to identify differentiation of transplanted cells, and evaluated the effect of fibrin and cells on regulating the injury-associated immune response.

Study Duration

28 days

Participants

Female Wistar rats weighing 150–180 g

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
Fibrin matrix holds up the delivered progenitor cells in the SCI site.
2
The H&E stained tissues revealed regulated cavitation, astrogliosis, and inflammation in test tissues.
3
Progression of transplanted cells into oligodendrocytes upon delivering a mixture of rNPCs, rOPCs, and fibrin is evident.

Research Summary

The study demonstrated fibrin niche aided stable differentiation of rat ADMSCs into neural progenitors. Fibrin matrix holds up the delivered progenitor cells in the SCI site. The H&E stained tissues revealed regulated cavitation, astrogliosis, and inflammation in test tissues. Fibrin niche-based derivation of neural progenitors from ADMSC seems valuable for transplantation using fibrin hydrogel.

Practical Implications

Therapeutic Potential for SCI

Fibrin matrix shows promise as a supportive niche for converting ADMSCs into transplantable neural progenitors, offering a potential therapeutic strategy for spinal cord injury.

Enhanced Cell Delivery

Injectable fibrin hydrogel serves as an effective delivery vehicle for improving cell retention, survival, and differentiation at the injury site.

Inflammation Reduction

Administered fibrin reduces inflammatory responses at the SCI site, suggesting a potential immunomodulatory effect.

Study Limitations

1
One-time administration of cells to the injury site has limited the number of cells transplanted (1 × 104 cells).
2
The insuffiency of cell numbers and the shorter assessment period could be the reasons for not achieving normal loco-motor functions.
3
Exploring a minimally invasive route for cell transplantation holds the potential for future research.

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