Effects of magnetic nanoparticle-incorporated human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells exposed to pulsed electromagnetic fields on injured rat spinal cord.

Transplanting mesenchymal stem cells into injured lesions is currently under study as a therapeutic approach for spinal cord injury. In this study, the effects of a pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) on injured rat spinal cord were investigated in magnetic nanoparticle (MNP)-incorporated human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs). A histological analysis revealed significant differences in MNP-incorporated cell distribution near the injured site under the PEMF in comparison with that in the control group. We confirmed that MNP-incorporated cells were widely distributed in the lesions under PEMF. The results suggest that MNP-incorporated hBM-MSCs were guided by the PEMF near the injured site, and that PEMF exposure for 8 H per day over 4 weeks promoted behavioral recovery in spinal cord injured rats. The results show that rats with MNP-incorporated hBM-MSCs under a PEMF were more effective on the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan behavioral test and suggest that the PEMF enhanced the action of transplanted cells for recovery of the injured lesion.