Transplantation of Human Glial Restricted Progenitors and Derived Astrocytes into a Contusion Model of Spinal Cord Injury

This study explores the use of human glial-restricted progenitors (hGRP) and astrocytes derived from hGRP (hGDA) to treat spinal cord injuries in rats. The researchers transplanted these cells into rats with spinal cord contusions to observe how they survive, migrate, differentiate, and affect recovery. The hGRP and hGDA grafts showed excellent survival and migration, with cells differentiating mainly into astrocytes. The grafts also improved the lesion environment and did not increase sensory or tactile sensitivity associated with pain. Despite the improved lesion environment, robust functional recovery was not observed, suggesting that additional interventions or optimized administration parameters are needed to achieve significant functional improvements.

• 1
  Both hGRP and hGDA grafts demonstrated robust survival and extensive migration within the injured spinal cord, with a threefold increase in cell number for hGRP and a twofold increase for hGDA.
• 2
  The majority of transplanted cells differentiated into astrocytes, with approximately 80% of cells near the lesion epicenter expressing GFAP, which decreased to 40-50% at a distance of 6 mm.
• 3
  Transplantation of hGRP and hGDA resulted in reduced cyst and scar formation at the injury site compared to controls, indicating an improvement in the lesion environment.