Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Brain injury is a serious central nervous system trauma. However, it is difficult to promote nerve regeneration and functional recovery after brain injury. Sheath cells are conducive to neuronal survival and axonal regeneration.

OBJECTIVE: To explore feasibility and effect of olfactory ensheathing cells transplantation on rat brain injury.

METHODS: A total of 90 healthy adult male SD rats were selected and 10 were used to prepare olfactory ensheathing cells. The remaining were randomly divided into model control and transplantation groups with 40 animals in each group. Model of middle cerebral artery occlusion was established by thread method. At 1 week, 2 × 10⁶ suspension of olfactory sheath cells and an equal volume of sterile saline were injected into two groups, respectively via the carotid artery. Neurological deficits were evaluated by creeping scores; histopathological changes were detected by HE staining, and glial fibrillary acidic protein and neurotrophic factor receptor p75 expression was detected by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Compared with the model control group, the neurological deficit scores were significantly reduced in the transplantation group compared with the control group at 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (P < 0.05); the pathological changes in injured brain tissues were ameliorated, the number of nerve cell degeneration and necrosis was significantly reduced, and edema was attenuated. A great amount of glial fibrillary acidic protein and neurotrophic factor receptor p75 expression was detected in the infarct hemisphere following cell transplantation, and little in the contralateral hemisphere and vascular endothelial cells. Negative expression was detected in the model control group. Results show that the olfactory ensheathing cell transplantation is effective on ischemic brain injury in the rats.