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Updated: Jul 29, 2025
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Published on: October 10, 2017
Evaluation of the Autologous Genetically Enriched Leucoconcentrate on the Lumbar Spinal Cord Morpho-Functional
Ravil Garifulin1, Maria Davleeva1, Andrei Izmailov1
1Department of Histology, Cytology and Embryology, Kazan State Medical University, 420012 Kazan, Russia.
Background:
Pathological changes associated with spinal cord injury (SCI) can be observed distant, rostral, or caudal to the epicenter of injury. These remote areas represent important therapeutic targets for post-traumatic spinal cord repair. The present study aimed to investigate the following in relation to SCI: distant changes in the spinal cord, peripheral nerve, and muscles.
Methods:
The changes in the spinal cord, the tibial nerve, and the hind limb muscles were evaluated in control SCI animals and after intravenous infusion of autologous leucoconcentrate enriched with genes encoding neuroprotective factors (VEGF, GDNF, and NCAM), which previously demonstrated a positive effect on post-traumatic restoration.
Results:
Two months after thoracic contusion in the treated mini pigs, a positive remodeling of the macro- and microglial cells, expression of PSD95 and Chat in the lumbar spinal cord, and preservation of the number and morphological characteristics of the myelinated fibers in the tibial nerve were observed and were aligned with hind limb motor recovery and reduced soleus muscle atrophy.
Conclusion:
Here, we show the positive effect of autologous genetically enriched leucoconcentrate-producing recombinant neuroprotective factors on targets distant to the primary lesion site in mini pigs with SCI. These findings open new perspectives for the therapy of SCI.
