Functions of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Spinal Cord Injuries

by admin | Feb 8, 2024 | Spinal Cord Injury, Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Stem Cell Research, Stem Cell Therapy

Spinal cord injury is one of the most complicated and serious pathological impairments affecting the central nervous system. Since the human body is unable to regenerate and repair the spinal cord after injury, there is a high likelihood of suffering permanent damage and disability.

Often compounding the issue of SCI, secondary events occurring after the initial injury to the spinal cord significantly reduce cell migration and axonal regrowth and limit repair and regeneration. 

Recently, transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been shown to promote the repair of injured spinal cord tissues in animal models. However, as Qu and Zhang highlight in this review, there remain many unanswered questions that are essential for improving the effects of this MSC therapy. As such, the authors focus this review on recent information about the behavior and function of MSCs in SCI, the function of biomaterials to direct the behavior of MSCs, and the attempt to emphasize combinational strategies such as tissue engineering for functional improvements of SCI.

There are studies showing that the migratory and homing capacities of MSCs are closely related to their engraftment and regeneration ability. Considering this, the authors highlight the importance of having MSCs migrate and integrate into host spinal cord tissue. Since MSC homing toward injured tissue is not an efficient process, and to ensure a more effective stem cell therapy outcome, it is important that these transplanted cells be introduced in a way that increases the migratory potential of healthy MSCs to the site of injured tissue.

Additionally, while transplanted cells have been identified adjacent to neurons after SCI, the surviving number of grafted and differentiated neurons was too small to be considered to contribute to functional recovery after SCI.  However, data suggests that the ability of MSCs to secrete soluble factors or vesicles rather than engrafting and transdifferentiating might serve an important role in SCI repair.

The authors also point to studies that indicate MSC implantation could promote a therapeutic effect and functional recovery in experimental SCI animal models. The authors believe that this is a result of MSCs ability to differentiate into specialized neuronal and glial cell lineages after transplantation. While MSC transplantation has not yet been proven to be an effective and reliable therapy for SCI, additional studies need to be done before the therapy is utilized in clinical applications. 

MSCs respond to the local environment in multiple ways and represent the most promising exosomes for neuropathic applications. Qu and Zhang conclude this review by calling for more intensive studies examining the potential benefits of combining MSCs with nerve tissue-engineered scaffolds to direct cell behaviors after SCI, including growth, migration, and differentiation.  

Source: “Roles of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Spinal Cord Injury – Hindawi.” https://www.hindawi.com/journals/sci/2017/5251313/. 

Using Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

by admin | Jan 25, 2024 | Spinal Cord Injury, Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Stem Cell Research, Stem Cell Therapy

Spinal cord injury is a global term used to capture damage to the spinal cord resulting from trauma (typically in the form of car accidents, falls, or work-related injuries) or from disease or degenerative conditions.  

Worldwide, it is estimated that up to 500,000 people suffer some type of spinal cord injury (SCI), with most resulting from car accidents, falls, or violence. The World Health Organization reports that people suffering from SCI are between two and five times more likely to die prematurely as a result of this injury.  

To date, there have been limited advances in therapeutic treatment or correction related to SCI, with any therapeutic development focused on treatment of SCI-related symptoms as opposed to the condition itself.  

In this study, Muthu et al. analyze evidence of the efficacy and safety of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy in human subjects with traumatic SCI and identify the therapy’s potential for the future management of SCI.

To analyze this evidence, the authors identified and reviewed studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of stem cell therapy for SCI. Specifically, Muthu et al. screened 321 research articles before narrowing this study down to 66 full-text reviews and finally identifying 19 studies that fit the criteria for this review.

These 19 studies involving 670 subjects demonstrated that those in the identified intervention groups showed statistically significant improvement in key measurement criteria, including the American Spine Injury Association (ASIA) impairment scale grade improvement, ASIA sensorimotor score, activities of daily living score, residual urine volume, bladder function, light touch, and pinprick response.

The authors also found that while no significant difference was noted in motor score or activities of daily living scores, and that the intervention group has significant increase in complications, no serious or permanent adverse events were reported.

Considering these findings, Muthu et al.’s analysis establishes the efficacy and safety of MSC transplantation in the specific areas highlighted above (improvements in AIS grade, ASIA sensory score, and bladder function) without major adverse events. The authors also call for further research to better understand standardized dosing, time, route of administration, and source of MSCs used for transplantation. 

Source: Muthu S, Jeyaraman M, Gulati A, Arora A. Current evidence on mesenchymal stem cell therapy for traumatic spinal cord injury: systematic review and meta-analysis. Cytotherapy. 2021 Mar;23(3):186-197. doi: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2020.09.007. Epub 2020 Nov 9. PMID: 33183980.