Use of a combination strategy to improve neuroprotection and neuroregeneration in a rat model of acute spinal cord injury

• Published in: Neural Regeneration Research
• Main Authors: Elisa García, Roxana Rodríguez-Barrera, Vinnitsa Buzoianu-Anguiano, Adrian Flores-Romero, Emanuel Malagón-Axotla, Marco Guerrero-Godinez, Estefanía De la Cruz-Castillo, Laura Castillo-Carvajal, Monserrat Rivas-Gonzalez, Paola Santiago-Tovar, Ivis Morales, Cesar Borlongan, Antonio Ibarra
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2019
• Subjects: fibrin glue; mesenchymal stem cells; glial scar; protective autoimmunity; neural derived peptides; neural regeneration; Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system; RC346-429; SCAR
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.4103/1673-5374.250627; https://doaj.org/article/cd678240fa99419a8d3336f7e0ab322a

Spinal cord injury is a very common pathological event that has devastating functional consequences in patients. In recent years, several research groups are trying to find an effective therapy that could be applied in clinical practice. In this study, we analyzed the combination of different strategies as a potential therapy for spinal cord injury. Immunization with neural derived peptides (INDP), inhibition of glial scar formation (dipyridyl: DPY), as well as the use of biocompatible matrix (fibrin glue: FG) impregnated with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were combined and then its beneficial effects were evaluated in the induction of neuroprotection and neuroregeneration after acute SCI. Sprague-Dawley female rats were subjected to a moderate spinal cord injury and then randomly allocated into five groups: 1) phosphate buffered saline; 2) DPY; 3) INDP + DPY; 4) DPY+ FG; 5) INDP + DPY + FG + MSCs. In all rats, intervention was performed 72 hours after spinal cord injury. Locomotor and sensibility recovery was assessed in all rats. At 60 days after treatment, histological examinations of the spinal cord (hematoxylin-eosin and Bielschowsky staining) were performed. Our results showed that the combination therapy (DPY+ INDP + FG + MSCs) was the best strategy to promote motor and sensibility recovery. In addition, significant increases in tissue preservation and axonal density were observed in the combination therapy group. Findings from this study suggest that the combination theapy (DPY+ INDP + FG + MSCs) exhibits potential effects on the protection and regeneration of neural tissue after acute spinal cord injury. All procedures were approved by the Animal Bioethics and Welfare Committee (approval No. 178544; CSNBTBIBAJ 090812960) on August 15, 2016.