"Stem cell therapy to promote limb function recovery in peripheral nerve damage in a rat model" - Experimental research

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Background Optimizing nerve regeneration and mitigating muscle atrophy are the keys to successful outcomes in peripheral nerve damage. We investigated whether mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy can improve limb function recovery in peripheral nerve damage. Materials and methods We used sciatic nerve transection/repair (SNR) and individual nerve transection/repair (INR; branches of sciatic nerve - tibial, peroneal, sural) models to study the effect of MSCs on proximal and distal peripheral nerve damages, respectively, in male Lewis rats. Syngeneic MSCs (5 × 10 6 ; passage≤6) or saline were administered locally and intravenously. Sensory/motor functions (SF/MF) of the limb were assessed. Results Rat MSCs (>90%) were CD29 + , CD90 + , CD34 - , CD31 - and multipotent. Total SF at two weeks post-SNR & INR with or without MSC therapy was ∼1.2 on a 0-3 grading scale (0 = No function; 3 = Normal); by 12 weeks it was 2.6-2.8 in all groups (n ≥ 9/group). MSCs accelerated SF onset. At eight weeks post-INR, sciatic function index (SFI), a measure of MF (0 = Normal; -100 = Nonfunctional) was -34 and -77 in MSC and vehicle groups, respectively (n ≥ 9); post-SNR it was -72 and -92 in MSC and vehicle groups, respectively. Long-term MF (24 weeks) was apparent in MSC treated INR (SFI -63) but not in SNR (SFI -100). Gastrocnemius muscle atrophy was significantly reduced (P 0.05) in MSC treated I

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

Browse all related research

Filter the research library by this study's title keywords, author, or publication year.