title: Transplantation of Embryonic Spinal Cord Derived Cells Helps to Prevent Muscle Atrophy after Peripheral Nerve Injury.
abstract: Injuries to peripheral nerves are frequent in serious traumas and spinal cord injuries. In addition to surgical approaches, other interventions, such as cell transplantation, should be considered to keep the muscles in good condition until the axons regenerate. In this study, E14.5 rat embryonic spinal cord fetal cells and cultured neural progenitor cells from different spinal cord segments were injected into transected musculocutaneous nerve of 200-300 g female Sprague Dawley (SD) rats, and atrophy in biceps brachii was assessed. Both kinds of cells were able to survive, extend their axons towards the muscle and form neuromuscular junctions that were functional in electromyographic studies. As a result, muscle endplates were preserved and atrophy was reduced. Furthermore, we observed that the fetal cells had a better effect in reducing the muscle atrophy compared to the pure neural progenitor cells, whereas lumbar cells were more beneficial compared to thoracic and cervical cells. In addition, fetal lumbar cells were used to supplement six weeks delayed surgical repair after the nerve transection. Cell transplantation helped to preserve the muscle endplates, which in turn lead to earlier functional recovery seen in behavioral test and electromyography. In conclusion, we were able to show that embryonic spinal cord derived cells, especially the lumbar fetal cells, are beneficial in the treatment of peripheral nerve injuries due to their ability to prevent the muscle atrophy.
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Hong Kong, China. carolinr@hku.hk.
authors.forename: Carolin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ruven
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Hong Kong, China. liwenhlb@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Hong Kong, China. lornalih@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Heng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Hong Kong, China. wmwonga@hku.hk.
authors.forename: Wai-Man
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Hong Kong, China. wtwu@hku.hk.|State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China. wtwu@hku.hk.|Joint Laboratory for CNS Regeneration, Jinan University and The University of Hong Kong, GHM Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510000, China. wtwu@hku.hk.|Guangdong Engineering Research Center of Stem Cell Storage and Clinical Application, Saliai Stem Cell Science and Technology, Guangzhou 510000, China. wtwu@hku.hk.
authors.forename: Wutian
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival; D005260:Female; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D009133:Muscular Atrophy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000628:therapy; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000166:cytology; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000378:metabolism; D059348:Peripheral Nerve Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D010641:Phenotype; D051381:Rats; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: axonal injury; cell transplantation; delayed nerve repair; fetal neurons; functional recovery; muscle atrophy; neural progenitor cells; neuromuscular junctions; peripheral nerve injury; spinal cord derived cells