title: Morphological study of Schwann cells remyelination in contused spinal cord of rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the role and effect of Schwann cells (SCs) remyelination in contused spinal cord.
  
  
  METHODS
  Green fluorescence protein expressing-SCs were transplanted into the epicenter, rostral and caudal tissues of the injury site at 1 week after the spinal cords were contused. At 6 weeks, the spinal cords were removed for cryosections, semithin sections and ultrathin sections, and then immunocytochemical staining of myelin basic protein (MBP), P0 protein (P0) and S100 protein (S100) was carried out on the cryosections. Qualitative and semiquantitative analyses were performed on the cryosections and semithin sections. Ultrastructure of myelinated fibers was observed on the ultrathin sections under electron microscope.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Transplanted SCs and myelinated fibers immunocytochemically labeled by MBP, P0 as well as S100 distributed in whole injured area. The quantity of myelinated fibers labeled by the three myelin proteins showed no statistical difference, however, which was significantly larger than that of controls. On the semithin sections, the experimental group demonstrated more myelinated fibers in the injured area than the controls, but the fibers had smaller diameter and thinner myelin sheath under electron microscope.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SCs can promote regeneration of injured nerve fibers and enhance remyelination, which may be histological basis of SCs-mediated functional repair of injured spinal cords.
authors.affiliation: Neurosurgery Department, 451 Hospital of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Xi'an 710054, China.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jie-yuan
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zhao-xia
authors.initials: ZX
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.forename: Bing-cang
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D018993:Myelin P0 Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D009418:S100 Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012583:Schwann Cells / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D004676:Myelin Basic Protein; D018993:Myelin P0 Protein; D009418:S100 Proteins