Adipose-derived stem cells promote peripheral nerve repair.pdf

Adipose-derived stem cells promote peripheral nerve repair Gui-Bo Liu1,2, Yong-Xia Cheng3, Yu-Kuan Feng2, Chao-Jian Pang1, Qi Li1, Ying Wang1,2, Hua Jia1, Xiao-Jie Tong1 A b s t r a c t Introduction: Recent evidence suggests that the implantation of bone marrow- derived mesenchymal stem cells improves peripheral nerve regeneration. In this study we aimed to investigate whether adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) can be used for peripheral nerve repair. Material and methods: In a rat model, nerve regeneration was evaluated across a 15 mm lesion in the sciatic nerve by using an acellular nerve injected with allogenic ADSCs. The walking behaviour of rats was measured by footprint analysis, and electrophysiological analysis and histological examination were performed to evaluate the efficacy of nerve regeneration. Results: Cultured ADSCs became morphologically homogeneous with a bipolar, spindle-like shape after ex vivo expansion. Implantation of ADSCs into the rat models led to (i) improved walking behaviour as measured by footprint analysis, (ii) increased conservation of muscle-mass ratio of gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, (iii) increased nerve conduction velocity, and (iv) increased number of myelinated fibres within the graft. Conclusions: Adipose-derived stem cells could promote peripheral nerve repair in a rat model. Although the detailed mechanism by which ADSCs promote peripheral nerve regeneration is being investigated in our lab, our results suggest that ADSCs transplantation represents a powerful therapeutic approach for peripheral nerve injury. Key words: adipose-derived stem cells, peripheral nerve repair, cell transplantation, sciatic nerve. Introduction Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are an attractive cell source for the regeneration of nerve tissue due to their self-renewal ability, high growth rate and multi-potent differentiation properties [1]. In particular, the implantation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) has been shown to