Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2025

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
Clinical application and potential pluripotent effects of hepatocyte growth factor in spinal cord injury regeneration
Shogo Hashimoto1, Narihito Nagoshi1, Masaya Nakamura1
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Introduction:
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a condition in which the spinal cord parenchyma is damaged by various factors. The mammalian central nervous system has been considered unable to regenerate once damaged, but recent progress in basic research has gradually revealed that injured neural cells can indeed regenerate. Drug therapy using novel agents is being actively investigated as a new treatment for SCI. One notable treatment method is regeneration therapy using hepatocyte growth factors (HGF).
Area Covered:
HGF has pluripotent neuroregenerative actions, as indicated by its neuroprotective and regenerative effects on the microenvironment and damaged cells, respectively. This review examines these effects in various phases of SCI, from basic research to clinical studies, and the application of this treatment to other diseases.
Expert Opinion:
In regenerative medicine for SCI, drug therapies have tended to be more likely to be developed compared to cell replacement treatment. Nevertheless, there are still challenges to be addressed for these clinical applications due to a wide variety of pathology and animal experimental models of basic study, but HGF could be an effective treatment for SCI with expanded application.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Liver Regeneration
Cells of Liver
The liver comprises four major types of cells— hepatocytes, stellate, Kupffer, and sinusoidal endothelial cells. The hepatocytes are...
iPS Cell Differentiation
Neurogenesis and Regeneration of Nervous Tissue

