Bone marrow stromal cell (BMSC)
transplantation has the therapeutic potential for
ischemic stroke. However, it is unclear which delivery routes would yield both safety and maximal therapeutic benefits. We assessed whether a novel recombinant
peptide (RCP) sponge, that resembles human
collagen, could act as a less invasive and beneficial scaffold in
cell therapy for
ischemic stroke. BMSCs from
green fluorescent protein-transgenic rats were cultured and Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to permanent
middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo). A BMSC-RCP sponge construct was transplanted onto the ipsilateral intact neocortex 7 days after MCAo. A BMSC
suspension or vehicle was transplanted into the ipsilateral striatum. Rat motor function was serially evaluated and histological analysis was performed 5 weeks after
transplantation. The results showed that BMSCs could proliferate well in the RCP sponge and the BMSC-RCP sponge significantly promoted functional recovery, compared with the vehicle group. Histological analysis revealed that the RCP sponge provoked few inflammatory reactions in the host brain. Moreover, some BMSCs migrated to the peri-
infarct area and differentiated into neurons in the BMSC-RCP sponge group. These findings suggest that the RCP sponge may be a promising candidate for animal
protein-free scaffolds in
cell therapy for
ischemic stroke in humans.