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68. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC)
7. Joint Meeting mit der Britischen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (SBNS)

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC) e. V.

14. - 17. Mai 2017, Magdeburg

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Combined treatment of self-assembling peptides and neural precursor cells after experimental cervical spinal cord injury

Meeting Abstract

Suche in Medline nach

  • Klaus Zweckberger - Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Neurochirurgische Klinik, Heidelberg, Deutschland
  • Jian Wang - University of Toronto, Department of Genetics and Development, Toronto, Canada
  • Yiang Liu - University of Toronto, Department of Genetics and Development, Toronto, Canada
  • Michael G. Fehlings - University of Toronto, Department of Neurosurgery, Toronto, Canada

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. Society of British Neurological Surgeons. 68. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC), 7. Joint Meeting mit der Society of British Neurological Surgeons (SBNS). Magdeburg, 14.-17.05.2017. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2017. DocDI.26.04

doi: 10.3205/17dgnc334, urn:nbn:de:0183-17dgnc3340

Veröffentlicht: 9. Juni 2017

© 2017 Zweckberger et al.
Dieser Artikel ist ein Open-Access-Artikel und steht unter den Lizenzbedingungen der Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (Namensnennung). Lizenz-Angaben siehe http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Gliederung

Text

Objective: The pathophysiology of spinal cord injury (SCI) involves inflammation and tissue scarring interfering with regeneration and recovery. A combined treatment approach with self-assembling peptides (SAP) and neural precursor cells (NPC) might improve this inhibitory environment and neuronal regeneration.

Methods: Following cervical laminectomy, rats were subjected to SCI. After randomization (NPC, SAP, NPC+SAP, vehicle, sham) SAPs and NPCs were injected into the spinal cord 1 day and 14 days after trauma. All animals received growth factors subdurally and immunosuppressive therapy. Neurological function was assessed on a weekly basis. 4 weeks after SCI rats were sacrificed and cryosections were prepared for immunohistochemical staining.

Results: Animals treated with SAPs showed a larger amount of surviving NPCs (18.088 ± 4.044 vs. 11.493 ± 4.111; n=6; p=0.019) and greater levels of differentiation: neurons (8.7% vs. 5.8%; p=0.015) and oligodendrocytes (11.6% vs. 9.1%; p=0.005). Furthermore, animals treated with SAPs alone or as a combined approach with NPCs had smaller intramedullary cysts (p=0.07) and a larger percentage of preserved tissue. In the combined treatment group astrogliosis (GFAP density) and tissue scarring (CSPG density) were significantly reduced. Though the total number of motor-neurons was diminished, there was no significant difference between the groups. Synapto-connectivity (Synaptophysin-density) was increased both in the NPC and in the combined treatment group. Behavioral assessments showed improvements favoring the animals treated combinatorially 8 weeks after SCI.

Summary: Shaping the inhibitory environment using SAPs reduces astrogliosis and tissue-scarring, supports NPC survival and differentiation, and reduces intramedullar cyst formation leading to an improved neurological outcome.

*This work was funded by a grant of the German research society (DFG Forschungsstipendium), and the Krembil and CIHR foundations.