title: Fibrin scaffolds containing ectomesenchymal stem cells enhance behavioral and histological improvement in a rat model of spinal cord injury.
abstract: Fibrin has been widely used in wound healing. However, its benefit for spinal cord injury (SCI) is limited. In this study, we investigated the impact of fibrin scaffolds containing ectomesenchymal stem cells (EMSCs) on histological and behavioral recovery after SCI and compared it with fibrin alone. To achieve this, EMSCs derived from adult rat nasal respiratory mucosa were cultured, characterized and transfected with green fluorescent protein adenovirus before transplantation. Then, Sprague-Dawley host rats were randomly assigned into four groups: the control group (laminectomy); the SCI group (laminectomy and transection of spinal cords); the fibrin group (fibrin was transplanted immediately after SCI), and the fibrin cell (FC) group (fibrin scaffolds containing EMSCs were transplanted after SCI). Three days after the operation, a TUNEL assay indicated less apoptotic cells in the FC group than in the fibrin group. Two weeks after SCI, fluorescence staining demonstrated not only the survival and migration of EMSCs into the lesion sites, but also a higher number of nerve fibers in the FC group than in the fibrin group. Histological examination including immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy 12 weeks after the operation showed more nerve fibers and a thicker myelin sheath in the FC group compared to the fibrin group. Western blotting confirmed these morphological results. Consistent with the histological results, Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan locomotor scores of the FC group were higher than those of the fibrin group. These results suggest that fibrin scaffolds containing EMSCs can improve the behavioral and histological recovery after SCI better than fibrin alone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Suzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213003, PR China. jsczljb@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Jinbo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zhijian
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yuhua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Xianglan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Xudong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Aihua
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Yanhong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Qinghua
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002465:Cell Movement; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D005337:Fibrin / Q000737:chemistry; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005337:Fibrin