title: Transplantation of Nogo-66 receptor gene-silenced cells in a poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) scaffold for the treatment of spinal cord injury.
abstract: Inhibition of neurite growth, which is in large part mediated by the Nogo-66 receptor, affects neural regeneration following bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation. The tissue engineering scaffold poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolic acid) has good histocompatibility and can promote the growth of regenerating nerve fibers. The present study used small interfering RNA to silence Nogo-66 receptor gene expression in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and Schwann cells, which were subsequently transplanted with poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolic acid) into the spinal cord lesion regions in rats. Simultaneously, rats treated with scaffold only were taken as the control group. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemistry revealed that at 4 weeks after transplantation, rats had good motor function of the hind limb after treatment with Nogo-66 receptor gene-silenced cells plus the poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolic acid) scaffold compared with rats treated with scaffold only, and the number of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and neuron-like cells was also increased. At 8 weeks after transplantation, horseradish peroxidase tracing and transmission electron microscopy showed a large number of unmyelinated and myelinated nerve fibers, as well as intact regenerating axonal myelin sheath following spinal cord hemisection injury. These experimental findings indicate that transplantation of Nogo-66 receptor gene-silenced bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and Schwann cells plus a poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolic acid) scaffold can significantly enhance axonal regeneration of spinal cord neurons and improve motor function of the extremities in rats following spinal cord injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Tianjin Fourth Central Hospital, Tianjin 300140, China.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Stomatology, First Clinical College, Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou 075000, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Yuhong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Tianjin Fourth Central Hospital, Tianjin 300140, China.
authors.forename: Jianjun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
keywords: L-lactide-co-glycolic acid); Nogo-66 receptor gene; Schwann cells; bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells; gene silencing; grants-supported paper; neural regeneration; neuroregeneration; photographs-containing paper; poly(D; rats; spinal cord injury