Abstract
Introduction. The primary trauma of spinal cord injury (SCI) results in severe damage to nervous functions. At the cellular level, SCI causes astrogliosis. Human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells (HUMSCs), isolated from Wharton's jelly of the umbilical cord, can be easily obtained. Previously, we showed that the neuroprotective effects of Lavandula angustifolia can lead to improvement in a contusive SCI model in rats. Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of L. angustifolia (Lav) on HUMSC transplantation after acute SCI. Materials and Methods. Sixty adult female rats were randomly divided into eight groups. Every week after SCI onset, all animals were evaluated for behavior outcomes. H&E staining was performed to examine the lesions after injury. GFAP expression was assessed for astrogliosis. Somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) testing was performed to detect the recovery of neural conduction. Results. Behavioral tests showed that the HUMSC group improved in comparison with the SCI group, but HUMSC + Lav 400 was very effective, resulting in a significant increase in locomotion activity. Sensory tests and histomorphological and immunohistochemistry analyses verified the potentiation effects of Lav extract on HUMSC treatment. Conclusion. Transplantation of HUMSCs is beneficial for SCI in rats, and Lav extract can potentiate the functional and cellular recovery with HUMSC treatment in rats after SCI.
Highlights
The primary trauma of spinal cord injury (SCI) results in severe damage to nervous functions
While the SCI resulted in immediate paraplegia, there were no significant differences in locomotion scores (BBB) of the sham-operated rats in comparison with the intact animals
Human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells (HUMSCs) treatment significantly improved locomotor function compared to the control group
Summary
The primary trauma of spinal cord injury (SCI) results in severe damage to nervous functions. Behavioral tests showed that the HUMSC group improved in comparison with the SCI group, but HUMSC + Lav 400 was very effective, resulting in a significant increase in locomotion activity. HUMSCs from Wharton’s jelly are primitive, uncontaminated, and immunotolerable [15] and are a lowcost source of stem cells that can be obtained and propagated in culture without invasive medical procedures or ethical issues [16]. These cells can be induced to form other cell lineages, such as neurons and glial cells [17, 18]
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