The effect of Matrigel as scaffold material for neural stem cell transplantation for treating spinal cord injury

Jiuling Wang,Guoxin Nan,Na Ni,Ruiliang Chu

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-59148-3

Abstract

Traumatic injury to the spinal cord causes permanent loss of function and major personal, social, and economic problems. Cell-based delivery strategies is a promising approach for treating spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the inhospitable microenvironment in the injured spinal cord results in poor cell survival and uncontrolled differentiation of the transplanted stem cells. The combination of a scaffold with cells has been developed with a tendency for achieving greater survival and integration with the host tissue. We investigated the effect of Matrigel combined with neural stem cells (NSCs) in vitro and in vivo. We compared the effect of different types of scaffold on the survival and differentiation of brain-derived NSCs in an in vitro culture. Subsequently, NSCs were transplanted subcutaneously into nude mice to detect graft survival and differentiation in vivo. Finally, phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), Matrigel alone, or Matrigel seeded with NSCs was injected into 48 subacute, clinically relevant rat models of SCI (16 rats per group). Matrigel supported cell survival and differentiation efficiently in vitro and in vivo. SCI rats transplanted with NSCs in Matrigel showed improved behavioral recovery and neuronal and reactive astrocyte marker expression levels compared to PBS- or Matrigel-transplanted rats. Functional repair and neuronal and reactive astrocyte marker expression was slightly improved in the Matrigel-alone group relative to the PBS group, but not statistically significantly. These data suggest that Matrigel is a promising scaffold material for cell transplantation to the injured spinal cord.

Highlights

Traumatic injury to the spinal cord causes permanent loss of function and major personal, social, and economic problems
SD rats were transplanted with Matrigel into injured spinal cords to evaluate the possibility of Matrigel serving as cell scaffold material
When the neurospheres were cultured in medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) for 2 weeks, cells emigrated from the neurospheres, resulting in loss of neurosphere structure

Summary

Introduction

Traumatic injury to the spinal cord causes permanent loss of function and major personal, social, and economic problems. Functional repair and neuronal and reactive astrocyte marker expression was slightly improved in the Matrigelalone group relative to the PBS group, but not statistically significantly These data suggest that Matrigel is a promising scaffold material for cell transplantation to the injured spinal cord. To determine whether Matrigel can serve as an ideal scaffold material for cell transplantation in SCI, we first examined cell survival in different scaffold materials: Matrigel, absorbable collagen sponge, POC/TCP (tricalcium phosphate/poly [1, 8 octanediol-co-citrate)]), and in vitro co-culture of primary NSCs. we inoculated nude mice subcutaneously with primary NSCs combined with Matrigel to detect cell survival and differentiation in Matrigel; we evaluated functional recovery and tissue response after using Matrigel to deliver brain-derived primary NSCs to treat a rat model of compression SCI in vivo

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion