Biodegradable chitin conduit tubulation combined with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation for treatment of spinal cord injury by reducing glial scar and cavity formation

• Published in: Neural regeneration research Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 104 - 111
• Main Authors: Xue, Feng, Wu, Er-jun, Zhang, Pei-xun, A, Li-ya, Kou, Yu-hui, Yin, Xiao-feng, Han, Na
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd 2015; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt. Ltd; Department of Trauma and 0rthopedics, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China%Graduate School of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China%Central Laboratory, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd; Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
• Subjects: Bone marrow; Care and treatment; Chitin; Health aspects; Morphology; nerve regeneration; spinal cord injury; spinal cord hemisection; biological conduit; bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells; stem cells; transmission electron microscope; cell transplantation; neurons; nerve fibers; NSFC grants; neural regeneration; Neuromuscular diseases; Rodents; Scars; Special Issue; Spinal cord injuries; Stem cell transplantation; Stem cells; Surgery; Surgical outcomes; Transmission electron microscopy; 可生物降解; 导管; 甲壳素; 瘢痕; 移植治疗; 胶质细胞; 脊髓损伤; 骨髓间充质干细胞; China; United States > US; spinal cord injury; cell transplantation; stem cells; biological conduit; neural regeneration; spinal cord hemisection; NSFC grants; nerve regeneration; bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells; nerve fibers; neurons; transmission electron microscope
• ISSN: 1673-5374; 1876-7958
• DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.150715

We examined the restorative effect of modified biodegradable chitin conduits in combination with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation after right spinal cord hemisection injury. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that biological conduit sleeve bridging reduced glial scar formation and spinal muscular atrophy after spinal cord hemisection. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells survived and proliferated after transplantation in vivo, and differentiated into cells double-positive for S100 （Schwann cell marker） and glial fibrillary acidic protein （glial cell marker） at 8 weeks. Retrograde tracing showed that more nerve fibers had grown through the injured spinal cord at 14 weeks after combination therapy than either treatment alone. Our findings indicate that a biological conduit combined with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation effectively prevented scar formation and provided a favorable local microenvi- ronment for the proliferation, migration and differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in the spinal cord, thus promoting restoration following spinal cord hemisection injury.