Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy in Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review

Int. J. Mol. Sci, 2023 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241411719 · Published: July 20, 2023

Spinal Cord Injury Regenerative Medicine

Simple Explanation

Traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) recovery is difficult because the central nervous system struggles to repair itself after damage. Cell therapy, especially using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), shows promise for treating TSCI. This review looks at studies on MSC therapy for TSCI to see how well it works, how safe it is, and its potential uses. The review found that MSC therapies improved AIS scores, sensory function, and to some extent, motor function. While MSC therapies appear safe in the short-term, more research is needed to confirm long-term safety and benefits. Other therapies like gene therapy and neurostimulation should also be explored.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

463 patients (21 clinical trials and 1 case series)

Evidence Level

Systematic Review of Clinical Trials and Case Series

Key Findings

1
MSC-based therapies demonstrate improvements in AIS (ASIA Impairment Scale) grades, sensory scores, and, to a lesser extent, motor scores.
2
MSC-based therapies have shown short- and medium-term safety, as indicated by the absence of signiﬁcant adverse events within the studied timeframe.
3
Additional studies exploring other potential future therapies such as gene therapies, neurostimulation techniques, and tissue engineering approaches are essential.

Research Summary

The study is a systematic review analyzing the efficacy and safety of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapies for traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI). The review included 22 studies and found improvements in AIS grades, sensory scores, and to a lesser extent motor scores with MSC-based therapies. The review concludes that while MSC therapy shows promise and short-term safety, further research is needed to confirm long-term benefits and to explore other potential therapies for TSCI.

Practical Implications

Clinical Practice

MSC therapy may be considered as a potential treatment option for TSCI, particularly for improving AIS grades and sensory function.

Future Research

Further studies are needed to evaluate the long-term safety and clinical implications of MSC therapy, as well as to explore other potential therapies such as gene therapies and neurostimulation techniques.

Treatment Strategies

Current treatments are based on attenuation of the secondary injury and include hemodynamic control and early surgical decompression.

Study Limitations

1
Limited scientific evidence and lack of generalized recommendations for the use of MSC therapies.
2
Most of the studies do not have a control group, are not randomized, are very heterogeneous, show low methodological quality, and do not provide very detailed information about how the whole process was carried out or how long the patients were followed up.
3
Small sample sizes in many of the included studies.

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