HOMEPRODUCTSCOMPANYCONTACTFAQResearchDictionaryPharmaSign Up FREE or Login

Predifferentiated embryonic stem cells prevent chronic pain behaviors and restore sensory function following spinal cord injury in mice.

Abstract
Embryonic stem (ES) cells have been investigated in repair of the CNS following neuronal injury and disease; however, the efficacy of these cells in treatment of postinjury pain is far from clear. In this study, we evaluated the therapeutic potential of predifferentiated mouse ES cells to restore sensory deficits following spinal cord injury (SCI) in mice. The pain model used unilateral intraspinal injection of quisqualic acid (QUIS) into the dorsal horn between vertebral levels T13 and L1. Seven days later, 60,000 predifferentiated ES cells or media were transplanted into the site of the lesion. Histological analysis at 7, 14, and 60 days post-transplantation revealed that animals receiving ES cell transplants suffered significantly less tissue damage than animals receiving media alone. Transplanted cells provided immediate effects on both spontaneous and evoked pain behaviors. Treatment with ES cells resulted in 0% (n = 28) excessive grooming behavior versus 60% (18 of 30) in media-treated animals. In the acetone test (to assess thermal allodynia), mice recovered to preinjury levels by 12 days after ES cell transplant, whereas control animals injected with media after SCI did not show any improvement up to 60 days. Similarly, the von Frey test (to assess mechanical allodynia) and the formalin test (to assess nociceptive hyperalgesia) showed that transplantation of predifferentiated ES cells significantly reduced these pain behaviors following injury. Here we show that predifferentiated ES cells act in a neuroprotective manner and provide antinociceptive and therapeutic effects following excitotoxic SCI.
AuthorsWesley A Hendricks, Elena S Pak, J Paul Owensby, Kristie J Menta, Margarita Glazova, Justin Moretto, Sarah Hollis, Kori L Brewer, Alexander K Murashov
JournalMolecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.) (Mol Med) 2006 Jan-Mar Vol. 12 Issue 1-3 Pg. 34-46 ISSN: 1076-1551 [Print] England
PMID16838066 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
Topics
  • Animals
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Cell Survival
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Chronic Disease (therapy)
  • Embryo, Mammalian (cytology)
  • Grooming
  • Hyperalgesia (pathology)
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Pain (physiopathology)
  • Pain Management
  • Pain Measurement
  • Spinal Cord (cytology, pathology)
  • Spinal Cord Injuries (physiopathology, therapy)
  • Stem Cell Transplantation
  • Stem Cells (cytology)

Join CureHunter, for free Research Interface BASIC access!

Take advantage of free CureHunter research engine access to explore the best drug and treatment options for any disease. Find out why thousands of doctors, pharma researchers and patient activists around the world use CureHunter every day.
Realize the full power of the drug-disease research graph!


Choose Username:
Email:
Password:
Verify Password:
Enter Code Shown: