Collagen scaffolds populated with human marrow stromal cells reduce lesion volume and improve functional outcome after traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes extensive loss of cerebral parenchyma; however, no strategy for reconstruction has been clinically effective. Our group and others have used human marrow stromal cells (hMSCs) to treat rats subjected to TBI and found no significant changes in the lesion volume, although functional outcome was improved significantly. To identify new ways of delivering hMSCs into the injured brain and to maximize the therapeutic benefits of hMSC treatment, we investigated the use of collagen scaffolds implanted with hMSCs as a cell delivery system for treatment of TBI. METHODS: Collagen scaffolds populated with 3 X 10 6 hMSCs were transplanted into the lesion cavity of the injured cortex 4 days after TBI, and the rats were euthanized 35 days after TBI. We measured sensorimotor function and spatial learning using an array of function tests, and the brain tissue was processed for histopathology analysis. CONCLUSION: The data show that scaffolds populated by hMSCs improve spatial learning and sensorimotor function, reduce the lesion volume, and foster the migration of hMSCs into the lesion boundary zone after TBI in rats. hMSC-populated scaffolds may be a new way to reconstruct the injured brain and improve neurological function after TBI.