Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have confirmed that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) can be also transplanted into allogeneic and heterologous gene environment, and maintain multi-directional differentiation potential. It may provide a new path to promote nerve repair after spinal cord injuries for its rich source, avoidance of ethical problem and distinct immunological characteristics.
OBJECTIVE: To summarize the immunological characteristics, different pathways of transplantation and its possible mechanisms of BMSCs and to provide theoretical evidence for stem cells in treatment of spinal cord injury.
METHODS: Related articles on PubMed from January 2000 to September 2010 were searched by the first author with the key words of “mesenchymal stem cells, bone marrow, immunological characteristics, transplantation, spinal cord injury” in English. Inclusion criterion: the articles related to the immunological characteristics of BMSCs and research progress of its treatment. Exclusion criteria: the articles with repetitive research or Meta analysis. 260 relevant articles were selected and 33 of them were included.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: BMSCs have low immunogenicity and can suppress the immunoreaction after transplantation. Migration through different methods, choosing the right migration path and timing may provide useful protection for the treatment of spinal cord injury. The mechanism may include neuron substitute, neurotrophic factor secretion, homing effect and so on. With the deep research of BMSCs and the mechanism of spinal cord injury, it will have a bright future in the field of clinical application after spinal cord injury.