title: Intraspinal transplantation of CD34+ human umbilical cord blood cells after spinal cord hemisection injury improves functional recovery in adult rats.
abstract: The present study was designed to compare the functional outcome of the intraspinal transplantation of CD34+ human umbilical cord blood (CB) cells with that of human bone marrow stromal (BMS) cells in adult rats with spinal cord injury. Sixty adult Wistar rats were subjected to left spinal cord hemisection, and then divided into three groups randomly. The control group received an injection of PBS without cells, while the two other groups of rats received a transplantation of 5 x 10(5) CD34+ CB or BMS cells, respectively. Functional outcome was measured using the modified Tarlov score at days 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28 after transplantation. A statistically significant improvement in functional outcome and survival rate in the experimental groups of rats was observed compared with the control group. Rats that received CD34+ CB cells achieved a better improvement in functional score than those that received BMS cells at days 7 and 14 after transplantation. Histological evaluation revealed that bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-labeled CD34+ CB and BMS cells survived and migrated into the injured area. Some of these cells expressed glial fibriliary acidic protein (GFAP) or neuronal nuclear antigen (NeuN). Our data demonstrate for the first time that intraspinal transplantation of human CD34+ CB cells provides benefit in function recovery after spinal cord hemisection in rats and suggest that CD34+ CB cells may be an excellent choice of cells as routine starting material of allogenic and autologous transplantations for the treatment of spinal cord injury.
authors.affiliation: National Research Center for Stem Cell Engineering & Technology, State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Institute of Hematology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zong Mao
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Hong Jun
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hai Ying
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Shi Hong
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Ren Chi
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Qing Jun
authors.initials: QJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhong Chao
authors.initials: ZC
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018952:Antigens, CD34; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000166:cytology; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy; D036101:Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020127:Recovery of Function; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000637:transplantation
chemical_list: D018952:Antigens, CD34