Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe traumatic disease of the central nervous system, with a global prevalence of 236–4187 per million people. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in treating patients with SCI as well as the optimal source and transplantation method of MSCs. PubMed, OVID, Cochrane, Web of Science, and China Biomedical Database were searched up until April 01, 2021. The study was conducted for five endpoints: American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) motor and sensory score, ASIA grade improvement, Barthel Index (BI), and adverse reactions. Standard meta-analysis and network meta-analysis were performed using Stata 14.0. Eighteen studies with a total of 949 patients, were included in the meta-analysis. Standard meta-analysis showed that MSCs significantly improved ASIA motor score (P < 0.001), sensory score (P < 0.001), ASIA grade (P < 0.001), and BI (P < 0.001) compared to rehabilitation. In addition, in the network meta-analysis, autologous MSCs significantly improved the ASIA motor [MD = 8.01, 95% CI (4.27, 11.76)], sensory score [MD = 17.98, 95% CI (10.04, 25.91)], and BI [MD = 7.69, 95% CI (2.10, 13.29)] compared to rehabilitation. Similarly, compared to rehabilitation, intrathecal injection (IT) of MSCs significantly improved the ASIA motor [MD = 7.97, 95% CI (4.40, 11.53)] and sensory score [MD = 19.60, 95% CI (9.74, 29.46)]. Compared to rehabilitation, however, only the IL of MSCs was associated with more adverse reactions [OR = 17.82, 95% CI (2.48, 128.22)]. According to the results of SUCRA, both autologous MSCs and IT transplantation approaches most improved the neurological function in SCI patients. Cell transplantation using MSCs is effective in patients with SCI and IT of autologous MSCs may be more beneficial.
Highlights
Spinal cord injury (SCI) has a high disability rate and often leads to paraplegia or quadriplegia, urinary incontinence, and sensory dysfunction
The analysis results revealed that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) transplantation increases the ASIA motor and sensory scores compared to rehabilitation in SCI patients [ASIA motor score: 12 months: standard MD (SMD) = 2.04, 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) (1.62, 2.45), P < 0.001; 6 months: SMD = 0.54, 95% CI (0.37, 0.72), P < 0.001; 3 months: SMD = 0.26, 95% CI (0.07, 0.46), P < 0.01, Fig. 3a; ASIA sensory score: 12 months: SMD = 1.74, 95% CI (1.34, 2.13), P < 0.001; 6 months:SMD = 0.56, 95% CI (0.38, 0.74), P < 0.001; 3 months: SMD = 0.45, 95% CI (0.25, 0.65), P < 0.001, Fig. 3b]
The results showed that compared with the control group, the treatment group had a significant improvement in ASIA grade A and grade B/C/D [ASIA A: RR = 5.41, 95% CI (2.16, 13.56), P < 0.001; ASIA B/C/D: RR = 2.63, 95% CI (1.52, 4.56), P < 0.05 Fig. 3c]
Summary
Spinal cord injury (SCI) has a high disability rate and often leads to paraplegia or quadriplegia, urinary incontinence, and sensory dysfunction. Chen et al J Transl Med (2021) 19:178 recruits neutrophils, monocytes, and macrophages, followed by a gradual infiltration of B lymphocytes, T lymphocytes, and antigen-presenting cells [6] These cells mediate the inflammation development, depending on the background, the duration of injury, and release several inflammatory factors, chemokines, second messengers, and reactive oxygen species leading to an imbalance in the local inflammatory microenvironment in SCI [7]. It aggravates the spinal cord tissue damage by further inflammation, including demyelination, damage repair, and scar hypertrophy [8]. A variety of treatment strategies for SCI have been developed, including drug therapy, surgery, and rehabilitation, but their therapeutic effect is not significant
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