title: [Transplantation of human umbilical cord stem cells improves neurological function recovery after spinal cord injury in rats].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study whether intraspinally transplanted human cord blood CD34+ cells can survive, differentiate, and improve neurological functional recovery after spinal cord injury in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rats were randomly divided into two groups. One group of rats was subjected to spinal cord left-hemisection and transplanted with human cord blood CD34+ cells labeled by bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU); The other group was carried by left-hemisection with injection of PBS (control group). The neurological function was determined before and 24 h, 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks after spinal cord injury and cell transplantation using the modified Tarlov score. The distribution and differentiation of transplanted human cord blood cells in vivo in rat spinal cord were evaluated by histological and immnuhistochemical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Functional recovery determined by modified Tarlov score was significantly improved in the group receiving human cord blood CD34+ cells compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Moreover, human cord blood CD34+ cells were found to survive in rat spinal cord microenvironment, with the expression of the neural nuclear specific protein (NeuN) in 2% BrdU-reactive human cells and of the astrocytic specific protein glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in 7% BrdU-reactive human cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intraspinally administered human cord blood CD34+ cells can survive, differentiate, and improve functional recovery after spinal cord injury in rats. Transplantation of human cord blood cells may provide a novel strategy for the treatment of neural injury.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Institute of Hematology, CAMS and PUMC, Tianjin 300020, China.
authors.forename: Hong-jun
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hai-ying
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zong-mao
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Shi-hong
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Ren-chi
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Hui-fang
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Ying-lin
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Qing-jun
authors.initials: QJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhong-chao
authors.initials: ZC
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D015110:4-Hydroxycoumarins; D000818:Animals; D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020127:Recovery of Function; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation
chemical_list: D015110:4-Hydroxycoumarins; D018952:Antigens, CD34; C021636:bromadiolone