Asian Spine J.  2016 Aug;10(4):611-618. 10.4184/asj.2016.10.4.611.

Transplantation of Neural Stem Cells Cultured in Alginate Scaffold for Spinal Cord Injury in Rats

• Hosseini S
• Sharafkhah A
• Koohi-Hosseinabadi O
• Semsar-Kazerooni M

• KMID: 2349281
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4184/asj.2016.10.4.611

Abstract

STUDY DESIGN: This study investigated the effects of transplantation of alginate encapsulated neural stem cells (NSCs) on spinal cord injury in Sprague-Dawley male rats. The neurological functions were assessed for 6 weeks after transplantation along with a histological study and measurement of caspase-3 levels. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to discover whether NSCs cultured in alginate transplantation improve recovery from spinal cord injury. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Spinal cord injury is one of the leading causes of disability and it has no effective treatment. Spinal cord injury can also cause sensory impairment. With an impetus on using stem cells therapy in various central nervous system settings, there is an interest in using stem cells for addressing spinal cord injury. Neural stem cell is one type of stem cells that is able to differentiate to all three neural lineages and it shows promise in spinal injury treatment. Furthermore, a number of studies have shown that culturing NSCs in three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds like alginate could enhance neural differentiation.
METHODS
The NSCs were isolated from 14-day-old rat embryos. The isolated NSCs were cultured in growth media containing basic fibroblast growth factor and endothelial growth factor. The cells were characterized by differentiating to three neural lineages and they were cultured in an alginate scaffold. After 7 days the cells were encapsulated and transplanted in a rat model of spinal cord injury.
RESULTS
Our data showed that culturing in an alginate 3D scaffold and transplantation of the NSCs could improve neurological outcome in a rat model of spinal cord injury. The inflammation scores and lesion sizes and also the activity of caspase-3 (for apoptosis evaluation) were less in encapsulated neural stem cell transplantation cases.
CONCLUSIONS
Transplantation of NSCs that were cultured in an alginate scaffold led to a better clinical and histological outcome for recovery from spinal cord injury in a rat model.

Keyword

Neural stem cells; Alginate; Spinal cord injuries

MeSH Terms

Animals
Apoptosis
Caspase 3
Central Nervous System
Embryonic Structures
Endothelial Growth Factors
Fibroblast Growth Factor 2
Humans
Inflammation
Male
Models, Animal
Neural Stem Cells*
Rats*
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Spinal Cord Injuries*
Spinal Cord*
Spinal Injuries
Stem Cells
Caspase 3
Endothelial Growth Factors
Fibroblast Growth Factor 2