Electro-acupuncture promotes survival, differentiation of the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells as well as functional recovery in the spinal cord-transected rats
Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are one of the potential tools for treatment of the spinal cord injury; however, the survival and differentiation of MSCs in an injured spinal cord still need to be improved. In the present study, we investigated whether Governor Vessel electro-acupuncture (EA) could efficiently promote bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) survival and differentiation, axonal regeneration and finally, functional recovery in the transected spinal cord.
Results: The spinal cords of adult Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were completely transected at T10, five experimental groups were performed: 1.
sham operated control (Sham-control); 2. operated control (Op-control); 3.
electro-acupuncture treatment (EA); 4. MSCs transplantation (MSCs); and 5.
MSCs transplantation combined with electro-acupuncture (MSCs+EA). After 2~8 weeks of MSCs transplantation plus EA treatment, we found that the neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), cAMP level, the differentiation of MSCs, the 5-HT positive and CGRP positive nerve fibers in the lesion site and nearby tissue of injured spinal cord were significantly increased in the MSCs+EA group as compared to the group of the MSCs transplantation or the EA treated alone.
Furthermore, behavioral test and spinal cord evoked potentials detection demonstrated a significant functional recovery in the MSCs +EA group.
Conclusions: These results suggest that EA treatment may promote grafted MSCs survival and differentiation; MSCs transplantation combined with EA treatment could promote axonal regeneration and partial locomotor functional recovery in the transected spinal cord in rats and indicate a promising avenue of treatment of spinal cord injury.
Author: Ying Ding, Qing Yan, Jing-Wen Ruan, Yan-Qing Zhang, Wen-Jie Li, Yu-Jiao Zhang, Yan Li, Hongxin Dong and Yuan-Shan Zeng
Credits/Source: BMC Neuroscience 2009, 10:35
Published on: 2009-04-20
Copyright by the authors listed above - made available via BioMedCentral (Open Access). Please
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