Adult olfactory ensheathing cell transplantation for acute spinal cord injury.

Cellular transplantation strategies have been explored for the treatment of spinal cord injury. In particular, olfactory nerve ensheathing cell (OEC) transplantation has been reported to improve functional outcome following injury. We investigated the effect of OEC transplantation using cells derived from adult animals on the restoration of function following a contusion injury to the spinal cord. The NYU impactor was used to create a moderate to severe spinal cord injury in 17 rats. Hoescht stained cultured OECs derived from adult rats (n = 7) or culture medium alone (n = 10) were injected into the injury site immediately following injury. Histological and functional outcomes were measured using immunohistochemistry and the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) scale. All animals transplanted with OECs were found to have surviving Hoescht positive cells within the spinal cord when sacrificed 6 weeks following injury. Immunohistochemical staining of the explanted cords revealed that the surviving cells stained positively for nerve growth factor receptor. Functional outcomes were not different between the transplanted and control groups. OECs transplanted immediately following a contusion injury to the spinal cord survive during the first 6 weeks following injury. These cells do not appear to influence functional outcome during the first 6 weeks following injury. Additional studies are required in order to definitively determine the utility of this type of cellular transplantation for spinal cord injury.