Issue 18, 2020

Aligned collagen scaffold combination with human spinal cord-derived neural stem cells to improve spinal cord injury repair

Abstract

Neural stem/progenitor cell (NSPC)-based spinal cord injury (SCI) therapy is expected to bridge the lesion site by transplanting exogenous NSPCs for replacement of lost cells. The transplanted NSPCs produce a microenvironment conducive to neuronal regeneration, and ultimately, functional recovery. Although both human fetal brain- and spinal cord- derived NSPCs (hbNSPCs and hscNSPCs, respectively) have been used for SCI repair, it remains unclear whether hscNSPCs are a more appropriate stem cell source for transplantation than hbNSPCs. Therefore, in this study, we transplanted hbNSPCs or hscNSPCs into rats with complete transection SCI to monitor their differences in SCI treatment. An aligned collagen sponge scaffold (ACSS) was used here for cell retention. Aligned biomaterial scaffolds provide a support platform and favorable morphology for cell growth and differentiation, and guide axial axonal extension. The ACSS fabricated by our group has been previously reported to improve spinal cord repair by promoting neuronal regeneration and remyelination. Compared with the hbNSPC–ACSS, the hscNSPC–ACSS effectively promoted long-term cell survival and neuronal differentiation and improved the SCI microenvironment by reducing inflammation and glial scar formation. Furthermore, the transplanted hscNSPC–ACSS improved recovery of locomotor functions. Therefore, hscNSPCs appear to be a superior cell source to hbNSPCs for SCI cell therapy with greater potential clinical applications.

Graphical abstract: Aligned collagen scaffold combination with human spinal cord-derived neural stem cells to improve spinal cord injury repair

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
17 Mar 2020
Accepted
18 Aug 2020
First published
20 Aug 2020

Biomater. Sci., 2020,8, 5145-5156

Aligned collagen scaffold combination with human spinal cord-derived neural stem cells to improve spinal cord injury repair

Y. Zou, D. Ma, H. Shen, Y. Zhao, B. Xu, Y. Fan, Z. Sun, B. Chen, W. Xue, Y. Shi, Z. Xiao, R. Gu and J. Dai, Biomater. Sci., 2020, 8, 5145 DOI: 10.1039/D0BM00431F

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements