title: Schwann cell transplantation and descending propriospinal regeneration after spinal cord injury.
abstract: After spinal cord injury (SCI), poor ability of damaged axons of the central nervous system (CNS) to regenerate causes very limited functional recovery. Schwann cells (SCs) have been widely explored as promising donors for transplantation to promote axonal regeneration in the CNS including the spinal cord. Compared with other CNS axonal pathways, injured propriospinal tracts display the strongest regenerative response to SC transplantation. Even without providing additional neurotrophic factors, propriospinal axons can grow into the SC environment which is rarely seen in supraspinal tracts. Propriospinal tract has been found to respond to several important neurotrophic factors secreted by SCs. Therefore, the SC is considered to be one of the most promising candidates for cell-based therapies for SCI. Since many reviews have already appeared on topics of SC transplantation in SCI repair, this review will focus particularly on the rationale of SC transplantation in mediating descending propriospinal axonal regeneration as well as optimizing such regeneration by using different combinatorial strategies. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Spinal cord injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Group, Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Department of Neurological Surgery, Goodman and Campbell Brain and Spine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA. Electronic address: dengl@iupui.edu.
authors.forename: Ling-Xiao
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Group, Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Department of Neurological Surgery, Goodman and Campbell Brain and Spine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
authors.forename: Chandler
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Group, Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Department of Neurological Surgery, Goodman and Campbell Brain and Spine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
authors.forename: Xiao-Ming
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000008:administration & dosage; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012583:Schwann Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000637:transplantation*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D058630:Spinal Cord Regeneration
chemical_list: D009414:Nerve Growth Factors
keywords: Axonal regeneration; Descending propriospinal tract; Peripheral nerve; Schwann cell; Spinal cord injury; Transplantation