title: Oral mucosa stem cells alleviates spinal cord injury-induced neurogenic bladder symptoms in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Spinal cord injury (SCI) deteriorates various physical functions, in particular, bladder problems occur as a result of damage to the spinal cord. Stem cell therapy for SCI has been focused as the new strategy to treat the injuries and to restore the lost functions. The oral mucosa cells are considered as the stem cells-like progenitor cells. In the present study, we investigated the effects of oral mucosa stem cells on the SCI-induced neurogenic bladder in relation with apoptotic neuronal cell death and cell proliferation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The contraction pressure and the contraction time in the urinary bladder were increased after induction of SCI, in contrast, transplantation of the oral mucosa stem cells decreased the contraction pressure and the contraction time in the SCI-induced rats. Induction of SCI initiated apoptosis in the spinal cord tissues, whereas treatment with the oral mucosa stem cells suppressed the SCI-induced apoptosis. Disrupted spinal cord by SCI was improved by transplantation of the oral mucosa stem cells, and new tissues were increased around the damaged tissues. In addition, transplantation of the oral mucosa stem cells suppressed SCI-induced neuronal activation in the voiding centers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Transplantation of oral mucosa stem cells ameliorates the SCI-induced neurogenic bladder symptoms by inhibiting apoptosis and by enhancing cell proliferation. As the results, SCI-induced neuronal activation in the neuronal voiding centers was suppressed, showing the normalization of voiding function.
authors.forename: Young-Sam
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Il-Gyu
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Sung-Eun
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sung-Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Mal-Soon
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Chang-Ju
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sang-Hoon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jun-Jang
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Gachon University School of Medicine, 21, Namdong-daero 774beon-gil, Namdong-gu, Incheon 405-760, Republic of Korea. kimcho99@gilhospital.com.
authors.forename: Khae-Hawn
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000166:cytology; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000473:pathology; D001750:Urinary Bladder, Neurogenic / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos