Neural Regen Res. 2014 Dec 15;9(24):2197-204. doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.147953.

Transplantation of placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cell-induced neural stem cells to treat spinal cord injury.

Li Z¹, Zhao W¹, Liu W², Zhou Y², Jia J³, Yang L¹.

Abstract

Because of their strong proliferative capacity and multi-potency, placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells have gained interest as a cell source in the field of nerve damage repair. In the present study, human placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells were induced to differentiate into neuralstem cells, which were then transplanted into the spinal cord after local spinal cord injury in rats. The motor functional recovery and pathological changes in the injured spinal cord were observed for 3 successive weeks. The results showed that human placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells can differentiate into neuron-like cells and that induced neural stem cells contribute to the restoration of injured spinal cord without causing transplant rejection. Thus, these cells promote the recovery of motor and sensory functions in a rat model of spinal cord injury. Therefore, human placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells may be useful as seed cells during the repair of spinal cord injury.