CD133+ cells from human peripheral blood promote corticospinal axon regeneration

To assess the effect of endothelial progenitor cells on the axon growth of cortex neurons, we transplanted CD133 cells derived from human peripheral blood to an organotypic coculture system consisting of spinal cord and cortex from neonatal rats. The axon growth from cortex to spinal cord was significantly promoted in cultures after CD133 cells transplantation compared with that of the control cultures. In addition, real-time reverse transcription-PCR showed a significant upregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA in the spinal cord of the cultures containing CD133 cells. In contrast, the transplanted cells did not differentiate into endothelial cells. These data suggest that CD133 cells may promote axonal regeneration by upregulating vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA in spinal cord tissues.