title: Effects of glial transplantation on functional recovery following acute spinal cord injury.
abstract: Numerous efforts have been made to maximize the efficacy of treatment for spinal cord injury (SCI). Recently, oligodendrocyte-type 2 astrocyte (O-2A) progenitor cells have been reported to remyelinate focal areas of demyelinated spinal cord in adult rats. We conducted a study to investigate the therapeutic potential of transplantation of O-2A cells in a rat model of acute SCI. SCI was induced with an NYU Impactor at T9 of rats. O-2A cells labeled with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) were transplanted into sites of SCI at 1 week after the induction of SCI. At 6 weeks after cell transplantation, a behavioral test showed significant functional improvement in animals that had received O-2A-cell transplants as compared to animals given cell-culture medium alone. An electrophysiological study revealed that the transplants did not improve the amplitude or latency of somatosensory evoked potentials, but a recording of motor evoked potentials showed that the latency of these potentials in the O-2A-cell-transplant group was significantly shorter than that in the group treated with cell-culture medium. Following transplantation of BrdU-labeled O-2A cells, cells positive for BrdU were detected at and near sites of SCI. Cells labeled for both BrdU and 2',3' -cyclic nucleotide-3-phosphodiesterase were also detected, showing that the transplanted O-2A cells differentiated into oligodendrocytes. By contrast, cells labeled for BrdU and glial fibrillary acidic protein, or for neuronal nuclei antigen, were not detected. Furthermore, a tract-tracing study showed that numbers of retrogradely labeled neurons increased in areas of the brain stem after O-2A-cell transplantation. The study data showed that after being transplanted into an animal with SCI, O-2A cells migrated to the area adjacent to the site of injury and differentiated into oligodendrocytes. The behavioral test and the electrophysiological and morphological studies showed that transplantation of O-2A cells may play an important role in functional recovery and the regeneration of axons after SCI.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyung Hee
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Do Heum
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Yong Gou
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Bae Hwan
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D015087:2',3'-Cyclic-Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004525:Efferent Pathways / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000637:transplantation*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D015087:2',3'-Cyclic-Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine