Transplantation of Human Neural Precursor Cells Reverses Syrinx Growth in a Rat Model of Post-Traumatic Syringomyelia.

ABSTRACT: Posttraumatic syringomyelia (PTS) is a serious condition of progressive expansion of spinal cord cysts, affecting patients with spinal cord injury years after injury. To evaluate neural cell therapy to prevent cyst expansion and potentially replace lost neurons, we developed a rat model of PTS. We combined contusive trauma with subarachnoid injections of blood, causing tethering of the spinal cord to the surrounding vertebrae, resulting in chronically expanding cysts. The cysts were usually located rostral to the injury, extracanalicular, lined by astrocytes. T2*-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed hyperintense fluid-filled cysts but also hypointense signals from debris and iron-laden macrophages/microglia. Two types of human neural stem/progenitor cells-fetal neural precursor

SUBMITTER: Xu N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8423938 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature