Distribution and Survival of Transplanted Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in the Spinal Cord Injury

Current expectations for successful treatment of post-traumatic disorders in the CNS are associated with cell-based technologies. Mesenchymal stem cells, which are under intensive study, appear to be the most promising. At the same time, mechanisms of their effect on post-traumatic regeneration of the spinal cord and their behavior and migration properties in neurodegenerative lesions are not investigated in full. In our study, we investigated the survival, migration, and phenotypic characteristics of a fibrin matrix enclosed in adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs) by implanting them in an area of the spinal cord injury in a subacute period. We showed that adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells retain their viability in the area of SCI for up to 60 days and migrate rostrally and caudally for more than 5 mm. Phenotyping of AD-MSCs in the spinal cord injury area performed on the seventh day post-transplantation shows that Thy-1, CD 73, and Stro-1 are expressed; however, no CD 44 expression is observed. The results obtained reveal the route of migration of AD-MSCs within an area of the spinal cord injury. However, the programed differentiation of these cells in a later post SCI period has to be studied.