Introduction: Treatments based on cell biology need reliable and precise carriers for reaching the desired targets. For that reason, a PDO-based cell carrier was idealized, with the purpose of carrying stem cells to distant sites at room temperature.
Materials and methods: Three modalities of the same carrier were evaluated: one containing undifferentiated human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs); one loaded with stem cells induced to neurogenic differentiation (DPSCNs); and one without cells (Blank). The carriers were implanted in sciatic nerve gaps in 48 Wistar rats that were divided in three groups. Two other rats were included in a SHAM control group. Immunohistochemical, histological and clinical analyses were performed in two, four, six and eight weeks of time.
Results: Efficacy of human stem cell transportation at room temperature to rats was attested. Moreover, it was possible to confirm that those cells show tropism for inflamed environments and are also prone to induction of neurogenesis in the first two weeks, vanishing after that period.
Conclusion: Clinical evaluation of the animals' gait recovery shows a promising perspective of success with the inclusion of stem cell-loaded PDO tubes in nerve gaps, which may be positively compared to previously published studies.
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Keywords: Nerve guide; Nerve regeneration; PDO carrier; Stem cells; Tropism for inflammation.