Peptide Hydrogel Scaffold for Mesenchymal Precursor Cells Implanted to Injured Adult Rat Spinal Cord.

A unique, biomimetic self-assembling peptide (SAP) hydrogel, Fmoc-DIKVAV, has been shown to be a suitable cell and drug delivery system in the injured brain. In this study, we assessed its utility in adult Fischer 344 (F344) rats as a stabilizing scaffold and vehicle for grafted cells after mild thoracic (thoracic level 10 [T10]) contusion spinal cord injury (SCI). Treatments were as follows: Fmoc-DIKVAV alone, Fmoc-DIKVAV containing viable or nonviable rat mesenchymal precursor cells (rMPCs), and rMPCs alone. The majority of post-SCI treatments were administered at 11-15 days (mean 13.5 days) and the results then compared to SCI-only control (no treatment) rats. Postinjury behavior was quantified using open field locomotion (BBB) and LadderWalk analysis. After perfusion at 8 weeks, longitudinal spinal cord sections were immunostained with a panel of antibodies. Qualitatively, in the SAP-only treatment group, implanted gels contained regenerate axons as well as astrocytic, immune cell, and extracellular matrix (ECM) component profiles. Grafts of Fmoc-DIKVAV plus viable or nonviable rMPCs also contained numerous macrophages/microglia and ECM components, but astrocytes were generally confined to implant margins, and axons were rare. Quantitative analysis showed that, while average cyst size was reduced in all experimental groups, the decrease compared to SCI-only controls was only significant in the SAP and rMPC treatment groups. There was gradual improvement in functionality after SCI, but a consistent trend was only seen between the rMPC treatment group and SCI-only controls. In summary, after contusion SCI, implantation of Fmoc-DIKVAV hydrogel provided a favorable microenvironment for cellular infiltration and axonal regrowth, a supportive role that unexpectedly appeared to be compromised by prior inclusion of rMPCs into the gel matrix. Impact statement The self-assembling peptide hydrogel, Fmoc-DIKVAV, is a biomimetic scaffold that is an effective cell and drug delivery system in the injured brain. We examined whether this hydrogel, alone or combined with mesenchymal precursor cells, was also able to stabilise spinal cord tissue after thoracic contusion injury and improve morphological and behavioral outcomes. While improved functionality was not consistently seen, there was reduced cyst size and increased tissue sparing in some groups. There was regenerative axonal growth into hydrogels, but only in initially cell-free implants. This type of polymer is a suitable candidate for further testing in spinal cord injury models.

Cortical AAV-CNTF Gene Therapy Combined with Intraspinal Mesenchymal Precursor Cell Transplantation Promotes Functional and Morphological Outcomes after Spinal Cord Injury in Adult Rats.

Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) promotes survival and enhances long-distance regeneration of injured axons in parts of the adult CNS. Here we tested whether CNTF gene therapy targeting corticospinal neurons (CSN) in motor-related regions of the cerebral cortex promotes plasticity and regrowth of axons projecting into the female adult F344 rat spinal cord after moderate thoracic (T10) contusion injury (SCI). Cortical neurons were transduced with a bicistronic adeno-associated viral vector (AAV1) expressing a secretory form of CNTF coupled to mCHERRY (AAV-CNTFmCherry) or with control AAV only (AAV-GFP) two weeks prior to SCI. In some animals, viable or nonviable F344 rat mesenchymal precursor cells (rMPCs) were injected into the lesion site two weeks after SCI to modulate the inhibitory environment. Treatment with AAV-CNTFmCherry, as well as with AAV-CNTFmCherry combined with rMPCs, yielded functional improvements over AAV-GFP alone, as assessed by open-field and Ladderwalk analyses. Cyst size was significantly reduced in the AAV-CNTFmCherry plus viable rMPC treatment group. Cortical injections of biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) revealed more BDA-stained axons rostral and alongside cysts in the AAV-CNTFmCherry versus AAV-GFP groups. After AAV-CNTFmCherry treatments, many sprouting mCherry-immunopositive axons were seen rostral to the SCI, and axons were also occasionally found caudal to the injury site. These data suggest that CNTF has the potential to enhance corticospinal repair by transducing parent CNS populations.