The Effects of the Combination of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells and Nanofiber-Hydrogel Composite on Repair of the Contused Spinal Cord

This study investigates the combined effect of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and a nanofiber-hydrogel composite (NHC) on spinal cord injury repair in rats. The hypothesis is that combining these two treatments will enhance nervous tissue repair in contused spinal cords. Rats with contused spinal cords were treated with MSCs in NHC, MSCs alone, NHC alone, or a control solution. The researchers then assessed the impact of these treatments on inflammation, nerve protection, and motor function. The results showed that the combination of MSCs and NHC reduced inflammation, decreased injury size, and increased the presence of astrocytes and axons at the injury site, suggesting improved tissue repair. However, these improvements did not translate into significant improvements in hindlimb motor function.

• 1
  Treatment with MSC-NHC or NHC alone significantly attenuated early macrophage infiltration in the contusion compared to MSC-PBS, indicating a reduced initial inflammatory response.
• 2
  MSC-NHC or NHC alone shifted the inflammatory response towards an anti-inflammatory, pro-regenerative state, indicated by a higher CD206+/CD86+ ratio compared to MSC-PBS.
• 3
  MSC-NHC significantly reduced the injury size and increased the presence of astrocytes and axons in the injury site at 8 weeks post-injury compared to MSC-PBS, suggesting enhanced tissue repair.