title: The effect of umbilical cord blood cells on outcomes after experimental traumatic spinal cord injury.
abstract: METHODS
  A cytokine expression profile of umbilical cord blood (UCB) derived multipotential stem cells (MPSC) was produced. We then transplanted MPSCs into a rat model of spinal cord injury (SCI) and assessed neurologic function as well as spinal cord histology.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine if MPSCs transplanted into a rat model of acute SCI would lead to a beneficial neurologic effect.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Conditioned medium from UCB contains factors that could promote healing of endogenous neural tissues. Previously, our laboratory has demonstrated that UCB hematopoietic cells can develop into MPSCs capable of differentiating into multiple cell types including oligodendrocyte-like cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  We cultured MPSCs from UCB cells using fibroblast growth factor 4, stem cell factor and fms-like tyrosine kinase receptor-3 ligand supplemented serum-free medium. Using a cytokine antibody array, we produced a cytokines expression profile of MPSCs. We then transplanted MPSCs into an immunosuppressed rat model of SCI and assessed neurologic function weekly for 6 weeks by the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan locomotor test. The spinal cords were examined histologically and lesion areas quantified.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We detected elevated levels of cytokines and growth factors with known neuroprotective, angiogenic, and anti-inflammatory effects in the MPSC conditioned media. The SCI rats treated with MPSCs showed a significant improvement in Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan scores after 6 weeks compared with the group that received vehicle only. Immunohistochemistry revealed transplanted human cells were present in the injured spinal cord after 1 week, but were no longer present by 6 weeks. There was a trend for the lesion size in treated rats to be smaller than that of the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that UCB MPSCs improve neurologic function of rats with acute SCI, possibly by the release of factors that reduce secondary injury.
authors.affiliation: Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mt. Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Shawn J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Chua
authors.forename: Ryszard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bielecki
authors.forename: Nobuko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamanaka
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Fehlings
authors.forename: Ian M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: Robert F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Casper
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D036101:Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D039902:Multipotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000637:transplantation*; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D016207:Cytokines