Four days after intrathecal infusion tubes implantation in Sprague-Dawley rats, SCI was induced with an infinite horizon impactor. In the Sham group (n=5), phosphate-buffered saline was injected 3, 7, and 14 days after SCI. GCSF, ADSCs, and ADSCs with GCSF were injected at the same time in the GCSF (n=8), ADSC (n=8), and ADSC+GCSF groups (n=7), respectively.
RESULTS:
The ADSC and ADSC+GCSF groups, but not the GCSF group, showed significantly higher Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan scores than the Sham group during 8 weeks (p<0.01), but no significant difference between the ADSC and ADSC+GCSF groups. In the ladder rung test, all four groups were significantly different from each other, with the ADSC+GCSF group showing the best improvement (p<0.01). On immunofluorescent staining (GAP43, MAP2), western blotting (GAP43), and reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (GAP43, nerve growth factor), the ADSC and ADSC+GCSF groups showed higher levels than the Sham and GCSF groups.
CONCLUSION:
Our analyses suggest that the combination of GCSF and ADSCs infusions in acute SCI in the rat does not have a significant additive effect. Hence, when combination agents for SCI stem celltherapy are considered, molecules other than GCSF, or modifications to the methodology, should be investigated.