gms | German Medical Science

Introduction: Peripheral nerve injury is a common and devastating complication after trauma and can cause irreversible impairment or even complete functional loss of the affected limb. While surgical reapposition of peripheral nerve result in some axonal regeneration and functional recovery, the clinical outcome is not optimal and research continues to optimise functional recovery after nerve repair. Cell transplantation approaches are being used experimentally to enhance regeneration of spinal cord axons. One cell of particular interest is the mesenchymal stem cell (MSC). Our preliminary work indicates that intravenously transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells into the demyelinated rat spinal cord results in homing of these cells into the lesion and in extensive remyelination in the central nervous system. However, the repair potential of intravenously transplanted mesenchymal stem cells in peripheral nerve injury has not been addressed yet.

Materials and methods: MSCs from rats were cultured and characterized in vitro. Peripheral nerves were lesioned and MSCs were intravenously transplanted. The rats were then behavioural tested for functional outcome for the duration of the experiments. Twenty-one days after transplantation, the nerves were removed prepared for either histology.

Results: The primary goal of these experiments was to study the potential of mesenchymal stem cells transplanted intravenously following peripheral nerve transaction. The MSCs could be found in the lesion site of the sciatic nerves after intravenous injection. They survived and integrated into the nerves and regeneration was improved in contrast to control groups as indicated by improved stepping observed in the transplant group.

Conclusion: We could demonstrate that the intravenously transplanted cells were able to home to the lesion and to provide a permissive environment that enhanced peripheral axonal regeneration and improves functional outcome. The results of these experiments could result in the development of clinical study to determine the efficacy of combined surgical nerve repair with cell transplantation approaches.