title: [Lithium chloride combined with human umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cell transplantation for treatment of spinal cord injury in rats].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the effects of lithium chloride combined with human umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cell (hUCB-SCs) transplantation in the treatment of spinal cord injury in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty female SD rats with complete T9 spinal cord transaction were randomized into 4 groups (n=20), namely the control group (group A), lithium chloride group (group B), hUCB-SCs group (group C) and hUCB-SCs(+) lithium chloride group (group D). On days 1 and 3 and the last days of the following weeks postoperatively, the motor function of the hindlimb of the rats were evaluated according to the BBB scores. At 8 weeks, all the rats were sacrificed and the spinal cords were taken for morphological observation. The spinal cord tissues at the injury site were observed with Brdu nuclear labeling to identify the survival and migration of the transplanted SCs. The regeneration and distribution of the spinal nerve fibers were observed with fluorescent-gold (FG) spinal cord retrograde tracing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Brdu labeling showed that the transplanted hUCB-SCs survived and migrated in the spinal cord 8 weeks postoperatively in groups C and D. FG retrograde tracing identified a small amount of pyramidal cells that migrated across the injury site in groups C and D. The BBB scores of the hindlimb motor function 8 weeks postoperatively were 4.11∓0.14, 4.50∓0.15, 8.31∓0.11 and 11.15∓0.18 in groups A, B, C and D, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lithium chloride can promote the survival and differentiation of hUCB-SCs into neural cells at the injury site. Lithium chloride combined with hUCB-SCs transplantation may accelerate functional recovery of the hindlimbs in rats with complete transection of the spinal cord.
authors.affiliation: Department of Spinal Surgery, Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510630, China. dengxuyong@tom.com
authors.forename: Xu-yong
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Rong-ping
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Kai-wu
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Da-di
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Jin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D036101:Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018021:Lithium Chloride / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D018021:Lithium Chloride