Experimental Study On The Effect Of Combination Therapy With Bu YangHuanWu Decoction And Mesenchymal Stem Cells Transplantation For Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury In Adult Rats

Objective To investigate the treatment effects and mechanisms of BuYangHuanWu Decoction (BYHWD) and Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) transplantation on neural morphological repairing and functional recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats, and observe the implanted Brdu-labled MSCs survival, migration and differentiation. Methods The SCI model of rats was established by the modified Allen's method to injury the 10th thoracic vertebra of animal. 160 rats that were produced the complete spinal cord injury were used and randomly divided into nine groups: (1) Combination therapy with the high dose of BYHWD (50g/kg/d) and MSCs transplantation group; (2) Combination therapy with the moderate dose of BYHWD (25g/kg/d) and MSCs transplantation group; (3) Combination therapy with the low dose of BYHWD (12.5g /kg/d) and MSCs transplantation group; (4)The MSCs transplantation group; (5)The sham group (no SCI); (6) The high dose of BYHWD group; (7) The moderate dose of BYHWD group; (8) The low dose of BYHWD group; (9) The blank (control) group (no treatment). The animals of group 1,2,3,4 and 5 that have received MSCs transplants had marked by intravenous injection of animal s tail. At the follow time (1,3,5W), the animals were observed the neural functional recovery, and the spinal cord was removed for the observation of the histomorphological changes. The specimens of injured spinal segment were obtained for the detection of the MSCs migration, survival and the expressions of micro-tubule-2 associated protein (MAP2), neurofilament (NF) or neuro-specific enolase (NSE) using immunohistochemical method. Results In therapeutical group, the neural functional recovery were improved significantly compared with the control group at 1, 3, 5 weeks (P<0.01). The spinal cord injuries of the therapeutical group were less than those of the control group under light and electron microscopes. The implanted Brdu positive MSCs survived and migrated to the injury site of spinal cord at 1 week (except the sham group). Some of the Brdu-labled cells were reactive for MAP2, NF and NSE at 3~5 weeks. Brdu-labled cells in 1, 2, 3 group were more than the MSCs transplantation group at 5 weeks (P<0.05). There were no significant difference among 1, 2 and 3 groups (P>0.05). Conclusions The transplanted MSCs may survive, migrate to the injury site of spinal cord and differentiate into neurons .Transplantation of MSCs following spinal cord injury may improvethe neural morphological repairing and functional recovery. After spinal cord injury and administration with BYHWD, it has been observed that â‘ the implanted MSCs migration and survival in the SCI body of rats were promoted; â‘¡the pathological changes of SCI were relieved, the function of spinal cord were recovered.