Influence of the Neural Crest Derived Stem Cells to Optic Nerve Regeneration After Its Experimental Injury

Abstract

Purpose: Orbital trauma is a challenging problem due to such severe sequel as diplopia, decrease of vision or eye motility disorder. However, the conditions of orbital soft tissue content still become underestimated. The aim of this study was to investigate structural changes in the rat optic nerve after experimental injury followed by treatment with stem cells. Materials and Ьethods: An experimental model of injury to the orbital soft tissue content in the rat was developed. Forty Wistar rats maintained under daylight were divided into two equal experimental groups. Unlike the rats of Group I, in rats of Group II, the site of injury to the orbital soft tissue mass received postnatal multipotent stem cells, epidermal neural crest stem cells (NCSCs) derived from the bulge of hair follicles. Results: Comparing the number of glial cells per certain area of the slice (NC) between group І and site without injury (control) after 3 week of observation, it was higher in group I more than 258.8% (p < 0.0001) and on 272.4% in group II (p < 0.0001). After 6 weeks NC in group I was higher than at previous terms: more then 128.9% (р < 0.0001). At the same, NC in group II was higher comparing with previous terms only on 17.1% (р = 0.0212). Between the animals of group I at terms of 12 and 24 weeks NC high and wasn’t significantly differ between this terms of observation (ANOVA p = 0.4379). In contrast, NC in group II stopped rising between 6 and 12 weeks demonstrating statistical equality (p = 0.4563). Conclusions: It can be assumed that the application of mesenchymal stem cells, derivates of the neural crest, after the experimental orbital trauma, stimulates a recovery of the optic nerve. Further studies should be performed to more deeply discover the neural crest derived stem cell populations, ivoleved into recovery of damaged optic nerves.