title: Mesenchymal stem cell transplantation reduces glial cyst and improves functional outcome after spinal cord compression.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent stem cells that have a supportive role in regenerative therapies, especially in the central nervous system, where spontaneous regeneration is limited. MSCs can exert a paracrine activity and modulate the inflammatory response after a central nervous system injury. Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to permanent neurologic deficits below the injury site, owing to neuronal and axonal damage. Among experimental treatments after SCI, cell transplantation has emerged as a promising approach.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a compression injury model in the mouse spinal cord, MSCs were acutely transplanted into the lesion cavity; injured mice without the graft served as controls. After 26 days, the survival of MSCs was investigated, and their effect on the formation of glial cyst and on injury-related inflammation was evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Grafted MSCs remained permanently undifferentiated. The lesion volume was reduced by 31.6% compared with control mice despite the fact that astroglial and microglial activation was not altered by the graft. Sensory and motor tests showed that MSC cell therapy results in improvement on a battery of behavioral tests compared with control mice: MSC-treated mice versus control mice scored 0.00 versus 0.50 in the posture test, 0.00 versus 1.50 in the hindlimb flexion test, 3.00 versus 2.25 in the sensory test, and 7.50 mistakes versus 15.83 mistakes in the foot-fault test.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results underscore the therapeutic potential of MSCs, making them promising treatments for central nervous system pathologies.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, Neuroscience Institute of Turin, Turin, Italy. Electronic address: marina.boido@unito.it.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boido
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Neurosurgery Section, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Garbossa
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Neurosurgery Section, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fontanella
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Neurosurgery Section, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ducati
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, Neuroscience Institute of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vercelli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000473:pathology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D002469:Cell Separation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003560:Cysts / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005911:Gliosis / Q000473:pathology; D006085:Graft Survival; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000502:physiology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D017628:Microglia / Q000502:physiology; D011187:Posture; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D012677:Sensation / Q000502:physiology; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome