Percutaneous transplantation of human umbilical cord blood-derived multipotent stem cells in a canine model of spinal cord injury.
OBJECTIVE
The authors describe a method for percutaneous transplantation of human umbilical cord blood (hUCB)-derived multipotent stem cells (MSCs) under fluoroscopic guidance. The investigators then tested whether percutaneous transplantation of hUCB-derived MSCs improved neurological functional recovery after acute spinal cord injury (SCI).


METHODS
The authors induced SCI in 10 dogs by percutaneous balloon compression. The 10 injured dogs were assigned randomly to the following groups (2 dogs each): Group 1, evaluated 2 weeks after sham transplantation; Group 2, evaluated 2 weeks after transplantation; Group 3, evaluated 4 weeks after sham transplantation; Group 4, evaluated 4 weeks after transplantation; and Group 5, evaluated 4 weeks after multispot transplantations. The dogs with sham transplantation (Groups 1 and 3) received the same volume of saline, as a control. A spinal needle was advanced into the spinal canal, and the investigators confirmed that the end of the spinal needle was located in the ventral part of spinal cord parenchyma by using contrast medium under fluoroscopic guidance. The hUCB-derived MSCs were transplanted into the cranial end of the injured segment in 6 injured dogs at 7 days after SCI.


RESULTS
Two dogs in Group 2 showed no improvement until 2 weeks after transplantation. Three of 4 dogs (Groups 4 and 5) that received cellular transplants exhibited gradual improvement in hindlimb locomotion from 3 weeks after cell transplantation. The CM-DiI-labeled hUCB-derived MSCs were observed in the spinal cord lesions at 4 weeks posttransplantation and exerted a significant beneficial effect by reducing cyst and injury size. The transplanted cells were positive for NeuN, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and von Willebrand factor.


CONCLUSIONS
The percutaneous transplantation technique described here can be easily performed, and it differs from previous techniques by avoiding surgical exposure and allowing cells to be more precisely transplanted into the spinal cord. This technique has many potential applications in the treatment of human SCI by cell transplantation. The results also suggest that transplantation of hUCB-derived MSCs may have therapeutic effects that decrease cavitation for acute SCI.
Lee
Jae-Hoon
JH
Department of Veterinary Surgery, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Chang
Hwa-Seok
HS
Kang
Eun-Hee
EH
Chung
Dai-Jung
DJ
Choi
Chi-Bong
CB
Lee
Jong-Hwan
JH
Hwang
Soo-Han
SH
Han
Hoon
H
Kim
Hwi-Yool
HY
D000818:Animals; D002232:Carbocyanines; D003287:Contrast Media; D036101:Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004285:Dogs; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D005471:Fluoroscopy; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D039902:Multipotent Stem Cells / Q000637:transplantation*; D011897:Random Allocation; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000628:therapy*; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods
C101089:CM-DiI; D002232:Carbocyanines; D003287:Contrast Media; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes