Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 8, 2026
Promotion of Survival and Differentiation of Neural Stem Cells with Fibrin and Growth Factor Cocktails after Severe Spinal Cord Injury
Published on: July 27, 2014
Neural stem cells grafts decrease neural apoptosis associated with caspase-7 downregulation and BDNF upregulation in
Guan-nan Xia1, Yu Zou, You-cui Wang
1Department of Histology, Embryology and Neurobiology, West China School of Preclinical and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
Abstract:
Transplantation of neural stem cells (NSCs) into lesioned spinal cord demonstrated a beneficial effect for neural repair, the underlying mechanism, however, remains to be elusive. Here, we showed that NSCs, possessing the capacity to differentiate toward into neurons and astrocytes, exhibit a neuroprotective effect by anti-apoptosis mechanism in spinal cord hemi-transected rats despite it did not improve behavior. Intravenous NSCs injection substantially upregulated the level of BDNF mRNA but not its receptor TrkB in hemisected spinal cord, while caspase-7, a downstream apoptosis gene of caspase-3, has been largely down-regulated. TUNEL staining showed that the number of apoptosis cells in injured spinal cord decreased significantly, compared with seen in rats with no NSCs administration. The present finding therefore provided crucial evidence to explain neuroprotective effect of NSCs grafts in hemisected spinal cord, which is associated with BDNF upregulation and caspase-7 downregulation.
