title: Therapeutic potential of human olfactory bulb neural stem cells for spinal cord injury in rats.
abstract: METHODS
  Adult human olfactory bulb neural stem cells (OBNSCs) were isolated from human patients undergoing craniotomy for tumor resection. They were genetically engineered to overexpresses green fluorescent protein (GFP) to help trace them following engraftment. Spinal cord injury (SCI) was induced in rats using standard laminectomy protocol, and GFP-OBNSC were engrafted into rat model of SCI at day 7 post injury. Three rat groups were used: (i) Control group, (ii) Sham group (injected with cerebrospinal fluid) and treated group (engrafted with OBNSCs). Tissues from different groups were collected weekly up to 2 months. The collected tissues were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde, processed for paraffin sectioning, immunohistochemically stained for different neuronal and glial markers and examined with bright-field fluorescent microscopy. Restoration of sensory motor functions we assessed on a weekly bases using the BBB score.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the therapeutic potential of OBNSCs-GFP and their ability to survive, proliferate, differentiate and to restore lost sensory motor functions following their engraftment in spinal cord injury (SCI).
  
  
  METHODS
  GFP-OBNSC were engrafted into a rat model of SCI at day 7 post injury and were followed-up to 8 weeks using behavioral and histochemical methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All transplanted animals exhibited successful engraftment. The survival rate was about 30% of initially transplanted cells. Twenty-seven percent of the engrafted cells differentiated along the NG2 and O4-positive oligodendrocyte lineage, 16% into MAP2 and β-tubulin-positive neurons, and 56% into GFAP-positive astrocytes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GFP-OBNSCs had survived for >8 weeks after engraftment and were differentiated into neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, The engrafted cells were distributed throughout gray and white matter of the cord with no evidence of abnormal morphology or any mass formation indicative of tumorigenesis. However, the engrafted cells failed to restore lost sensory and motor functions as evident from behavioral analysis using the BBB score test.
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Marei
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Althani
authors.affiliation: Department of Cytology and Histology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rezk
authors.affiliation: Department of Cytology and Histology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Farag
authors.affiliation: Department of Cytology and Histology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lashen
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Afifi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cytology and Histology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abd-Elmaksoud
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurosurgery, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pallini
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, National Research Council of Italy, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Casalbore
authors.affiliation: Institute of Translational Pharmacology, National Research Council of Italy, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cenciarelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Virginia-Mareland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Caceci
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006801:Humans; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology* / Q000637:transplantation*; D009830:Olfactory Bulb / Q000166:cytology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins