ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The transplantation of human umbilical cord blood cells (hUCBCs) has been shown to attenuate the unregulated activation of microglia in a rat model of cerebral palsy (CP). To investigate whether hUCBCs transplantation is also anti-inflammatory in humans, we performed a clinical trial in patients with CP. METHODS AND RESULTS: Allogeneic or autologous hUCBCs and erythropoietin (EPO) were intravenously injected into human patients with CP (mean age of approximately 38 weeks), and patients were analyzed for their motor function and social behavior. Blood samples were tested for cytokine levels. The most surprising finding in the study was that the cytokine levels were dependent on the donor cell source (allogeneic or autologous). Interestingly, the allogeneic treatment group demonstrated significantly decreased levels of pro-inflammatory factors, such as IL-1alpha, IL-6, TNF-beta, and RANTES, and showed a statistically significant improvement in motor and social behavior compared to the autologous treatment group. CONCLUSIONS: Given that inflammation plays a pivotal role in CP, our results suggest that allogeneic hUCBCs therapy may be an appropriate strategy for CP treatment. In addition, prior to transplantation, a detailed analysis of the amount of proinflammatory cytokines in cord blood may be needed to avoid exacerbating inflammatory responses.