TY - JOUR
T1 - Human mesenchymal stem cell therapy promotes retinal ganglion cell survival and target reconnection after optic nerve crush in adult rats
AU - da Silva-Junior, Almir Jordão
AU - Mesentier-Louro, Louise Alessandra
AU - Nascimento-dos-Santos, Gabriel
AU - Teixeira-Pinheiro, Leandro Coelho
AU - Vasques, Juliana F.
AU - Chimeli-Ormonde, Luiza
AU - Bodart-Santos, Victor
AU - de Carvalho, Luiza Rachel Pinheiro
AU - Santiago, Marcelo Felippe
AU - Mendez-Otero, Rosalia
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).
PY - 2021/12
Y1 - 2021/12
N2 - Background: Optic-nerve injury results in impaired transmission of visual signals to central targets and leads to the death of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and irreversible vision loss. Therapies with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from different sources have been used experimentally to increase survival and regeneration of RGCs. Methods: We investigated the efficacy of human umbilical Wharton’s jelly-derived MSCs (hWJ-MSCs) and their extracellular vesicles (EVs) in a rat model of optic nerve crush. Results: hWJ-MSCs had a sustained neuroprotective effect on RGCs for 14, 60, and 120 days after optic nerve crush. The same effect was obtained using serum-deprived hWJ-MSCs, whereas transplantation of EVs obtained from those cells was ineffective. Treatment with hWJ-MSCs also promoted axonal regeneration along the optic nerve and reinnervation of visual targets 120 days after crush. Conclusions: The observations showed that this treatment with human-derived MSCs promoted sustained neuroprotection and regeneration of RGCs after optic nerve injury. These findings highlight the possibility to use cell therapy to preserve neurons and to promote axon regeneration, using a reliable source of human MSCs.
AB - Background: Optic-nerve injury results in impaired transmission of visual signals to central targets and leads to the death of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and irreversible vision loss. Therapies with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from different sources have been used experimentally to increase survival and regeneration of RGCs. Methods: We investigated the efficacy of human umbilical Wharton’s jelly-derived MSCs (hWJ-MSCs) and their extracellular vesicles (EVs) in a rat model of optic nerve crush. Results: hWJ-MSCs had a sustained neuroprotective effect on RGCs for 14, 60, and 120 days after optic nerve crush. The same effect was obtained using serum-deprived hWJ-MSCs, whereas transplantation of EVs obtained from those cells was ineffective. Treatment with hWJ-MSCs also promoted axonal regeneration along the optic nerve and reinnervation of visual targets 120 days after crush. Conclusions: The observations showed that this treatment with human-derived MSCs promoted sustained neuroprotection and regeneration of RGCs after optic nerve injury. These findings highlight the possibility to use cell therapy to preserve neurons and to promote axon regeneration, using a reliable source of human MSCs.
KW - Cell therapy
KW - Central nervous system
KW - Mesenchymal stem cells
KW - Nerve regeneration
KW - Neuroprotection
KW - Optic nerve injury
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85100167867&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s13287-020-02130-7
DO - 10.1186/s13287-020-02130-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 33468246
AN - SCOPUS:85100167867
SN - 1757-6512
VL - 12
JO - Stem Cell Research and Therapy
JF - Stem Cell Research and Therapy
IS - 1
M1 - 69
ER -