Combined transplantation of GDAs(BMP) and hr-decorin in spinal cord contusion repair

Liang Wu; Jianjun Li; Liang Chen; Hong Zhang; Li Yuan; Stephen Ja Davies

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.24.003

Combined transplantation of GDAs(BMP) and hr-decorin in spinal cord contusion repair

Neural Regen Res. 2013 Aug 25;8(24):2236-48. doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.24.003.

Authors

Liang Wu¹, Jianjun Li², Liang Chen², Hong Zhang³, Li Yuan², Stephen Ja Davies⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Rehabilitation Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100068, China ; Department of Neural Functional Reconstruction of Spine and Spinal Cord, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Beijing 100068, China ; Rehabilitation Center, Beijing Xiaotangshan Rehabilitation Hospital, Beijing 102211, China.
² School of Rehabilitation Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100068, China ; Department of Neural Functional Reconstruction of Spine and Spinal Cord, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Beijing 100068, China.
³ School of Rehabilitation Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100068, China.
⁴ Department of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado Denver, 1250 14th Street Denver, Colorado 80217, USA.

PMID: 25206533
PMCID: PMC4146032
DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.24.003

Abstract

Following spinal cord injury, astrocyte proliferation and scar formation are the main factors inhibiting the regeneration and growth of spinal cord axons. Recombinant decorin suppresses inflammatory reactions, inhibits glial scar formation, and promotes axonal growth. Rat models of T8 spinal cord contusion were created with the NYU impactor and these models were subjected to combined transplantation of bone morphogenetic protein-4-induced glial-restricted precursor-derived astrocytes and human recombinant decorin transplantation. At 28 days after spinal cord contusion, double-immunofluorescent histochemistry revealed that combined transplantation inhibited the early inflammatory response in injured rats. Furthermore, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which was secreted by transplanted cells, protected injured axons. The combined transplantation promoted axonal regeneration and growth of injured motor and sensory neurons by inhibiting astrocyte proliferation and glial scar formation, with astrocytes forming a linear arrangement in the contused spinal cord, thus providing axonal regeneration channels.

Keywords: astrocytes; brain-derived growth factor; combined trans-plantation; glial cells; glial fibrillary acidic protein; glial progenitor cells; glial scar; grants-supported paper; human recombinant decorin; neural regeneration; neural stem cells; neuroregeneration; spinal cord injury.