Protection of corticospinal tract neurons after dorsal spinal cord transection and engraftment of olfactory ensheathing cells.
Transplantation of olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) into the damaged rat spinal cord leads to directed elongative axonal regeneration and improved functional outcome. OECs are known to produce a number of neurotrophic molecules. To explore the possibility that OECs are neuroprotective for injured corticospinal tract (CST) neurons, we transplanted OECs into the dorsal transected spinal cord (T9) and examined primary motor cortex (M1) to assess apoptosis and neuronal loss at 1 and 4 weeks post-transplantation. The number of apoptotic cortical neurons was reduced at 1 week, and the extent of neuronal loss was reduced at 4 weeks. Biochemical analysis indicated an increase in BDNF levels in the spinal cord injury zone after OEC transplantation at 1 week. The transplanted OECs associated longitudinally with axons at 4 weeks. Thus, OEC transplantation into the injured spinal cord has distant neuroprotective effects on descending cortical projection neurons.
Sasaki
Masanori
M
Department of Neurology and Center for Neuroscience and Regeneration Research, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Hains
Bryan C
BC
Lankford
Karen L
KL
Waxman
Stephen G
SG
Kocsis
Jeffery D
JD
D000818:Animals; D001562:Benzimidazoles; D002452:Cell Count; D002469:Cell Separation; D002470:Cell Survival; D017690:Cell Transplantation; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009833:Olfactory Pathways / Q000166:cytology* / Q000637:transplantation*; D011712:Pyramidal Tracts / Q000166:cytology*; D051381:Rats; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000473:pathology*; D013266:Stilbamidines
C049774:2-hydroxy-4,4'-diamidinostilbene, methanesulfonate salt; D001562:Benzimidazoles; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D013266:Stilbamidines; C017807:bisbenzimide ethoxide trihydrochloride