Repair of spinal cord injury by neural stem cells modified with BDNF gene in rats.
Objective To explore repair of spinal cord injury by neural stem cells (NSCs) modified with brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene (BDNF-NSCs) in rats. Methods Neural stem cells modified with BDNF gene were transplanted into the complete transection site of spinal cord at the lumbar 4 (L4) level in rats. Motor function of rats' hind limbs was observed and HE and X-gal immunocytochemical staining, in situ hybridization, and retrograde HRP tracing were also performed. Results BDNF-NSCs survived and integrated well with host spinal cord. In the transplant group, some X-gal positive, NF-200 positive, GFAP positive, BDNF positive, and BDNF mRNA positive cells, and many NF-200 positive nerve fibers were observed in the injury site. Retrograde HRP tracing through sciatic nerve showed some HRP positive cells and nerve fibers near the rostral side of the injury one month after transplant and with time, they increased in number. Examinations on rats' motor function and behavior demonstrated that motor function of rats' hind limbs improved better in the transplant group than the injury group. Conclusion BDNF-NSCs can survive, differentiate, and partially integrate with host spinal cord, and they significantly ameliorate rats ' motor function of hind limbs, indicating their promising role in repairing spinal cord injury.
Li
Wei
W
School of Nursing; Department of Histology and Embryology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China E-mail: weilee2004@yahoo.com.cn.
Cai
Wen-Qin
WQ
Li
Cheng-Ren
CR