Spinal Progenitor-Laden Bridges Support Earlier Axon Regeneration Following Spinal Cord Injury

Tissue Eng Part A. 2018 Nov;24(21-22):1588-1602. doi: 10.1089/ten.TEA.2018.0053. Epub 2018 Oct 19.

Abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in loss of tissue innervation below the injury. Spinal progenitors have a greater ability to repair the damage and can be injected into the injury, but their regenerative potential is hampered by their poor survival after transplantation. Biomaterials can create a cell delivery platform and generate a more hospitable microenvironment for the progenitors within the injury. In this work, polymeric bridges are used to deliver embryonic spinal progenitors to the injury, resulting in increased progenitor survival and subsequent regeneration and functional recovery, thus demonstrating the importance of combined therapeutic approaches for SCI.

Keywords: axon elongation; biomaterial; spinal cord injury; spinal progenitor cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Allografts
  • Animals
  • Axons / pathology
  • Axons / physiology*
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / genetics
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Neural Stem Cells / metabolism*
  • Neural Stem Cells / pathology
  • Regeneration*
  • Spinal Cord Injuries / genetics
  • Spinal Cord Injuries / metabolism
  • Spinal Cord Injuries / pathology
  • Spinal Cord Injuries / therapy*
  • Stem Cell Transplantation*

Substances

  • enhanced green fluorescent protein
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins