Volume 24, Issue 102, March - April, 2020

Motor neuron recovery in rats after incomplete spinal cord injury using intra-spinal electrical stimulation and stem cell transfusion: A prelude to human applications

Mohaddeseh Hedayatzadeh¹, Maryam Tehranipour^2♦, Hamid Reza Kobravi³

¹Department of Medical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad Branch, Mashhad, Iran
²Departmentof Biology, Faculty of Science, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad Branch, Mashhad, Iran.
³Department of Medical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad Branch, Mashhad, Iran

^♦Corresponding author
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad Branch, Mashhad, Iran Email: maryam_tehranipour@mshdiau.ac.ir

ABSTRACT

The effect of intra-spinal electric stimulation with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells for motion recovery after spinal cord injuries has been studied in the present research. Practical studies have been conducted on Wistar rats with induced spinal cord palsy. Thirty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups including intraspinal electrical stimulation (IES), stem cell transfusion (BM-MSCs), combination (IES+BM-MSCs), sham and control group. Motor behavior analyses were carried out through the direct observation of animal behavior and how to maintain balance during walking. The mentioned tests performed using the locomotion photobam activity system and Rota-Rod Rat test. Motor behavior analyses showed that considerable improvements occurred in motor abilities of the rats in the combination group. In addition, it has been observed that the mean density of alpha neurons in the combination group (IES+BM-MSCs) in which injection of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells was carried out in addition to intra-spinal cord stimulation, has experienced a significant increase compared to other groups including electrical stimulation of the intra-spinal cord, stem cells and sham. It can be concluded that the intra-spinal electrical stimulation with injection of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells with exercise therapy, has had significant gait restorative effects and increases the range of motion in rats with induced spinal cord injury.

Keywords: : Spinal cord injury, Motion recovery, Intra spinal electrical stimulation, Stem cell, rat

Medical Science, 2020, 24(102), 706-716

PDF