Vaccination with dendritic cells pulsed with homogenate protein of spinal cord promotes functional recovery from spinal cord injury in mice.
METHODS
Randomized, double-blinded animal experiment for neural functional recovery from spinal cord injury (SCI) through vaccination with immature dendritic cells (DCs) pulsed with homogenate protein of spinal cord (hpDCs) in mice.


OBJECTIVE
To study the effect of hpDCs in the recovery from SCI in mice.


METHODS
Immature DCs pulsed with homogenate protein of spinal cord, myelin basic protein (MBP) or phosphate-buffer solution (PBS) were injected into spinal cord-injured mice locally or peritoneally. The functional recovery of spinal cord (open-field locomotor rating scale of Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan, BBB score) was measured weekly. The areas of injured region and cyst as well as the thickness of the glial scar were measured and the expressions of glial fibrillary acidic protein, neurofilament and nestin were detected to confirm the BBB scores.


RESULTS
Eighty-four days after injection, the BBB score of the hpDCs group (peritoneally injected mice) reached 18.2+/-1.1, significantly higher than that the scores of the mbpDCs and control groups (16.3+/-2.1 and 10.0+/-2.0, respectively). The areas of injured region and cyst as well as the thickness of the glial scar of the hpDCs group were less than that of the control group. Meanwhile, the expression of nestin lasts up to 56 days after injection in the hpDCs group, while it disappeared in the mbpDCs and PBS groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Implanting DCs pulsed with homogenate protein of spinal cord, but not mbpDCs or PBS alone, locally or peritoneally, have a significant effect on functional recovery and neural preservation from SCI.
Liu
M
M
Department of Orthopaedics, Daping Hospital and Research Institute of Surgery, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, PR China.
Zhao
J
J
Liang
H
H
Bian
X
X
D000818:Animals; D015551:Autoimmunity; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000637:transplantation*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D007278:Injections, Spinal; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000276:immunology; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D064231:Nestin; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000187:drug effects; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014611:Vaccination / Q000379:methods
D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C577485:Nes protein, mouse; D064231:Nestin; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins