Allogeneic bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in the epineurium and perineurium of the recipient rat

Abstract

Achievements in regenerative medicine have demonstrated that using different kinds of stem cells can have some stimulating effect on the reparative regeneration processes of the nervous system. To stimulate nerve regeneration, the experimental elaboration of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation is carried out actively. There is evidence that MSCs promote growth of the recipient regenerating axons after transplantation into the damaged nerve or the conduit. However, processes that happen in transplanted cells and these cells’ differentiation are poorly studied. The aim of the present study is to describe the localization and morphologically peculiar properties of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells after their allotransplantation into the injured nerve of a rat. MSCs from Wistar—Kyoto rats were cultivated for seven days and labeled with BrdU three days before using. The sciatic nerves of adult Wistar— Kyoto rats were damaged, and suspensions of BrdU-labeled cultured MSCs were immediately transplanted into the damaged sciatic nerves. Five to seven days after transplantation, the surviving MSCs were found. Using fluorescent microscopy, we found that some of the transplanted cells were localized in the epineurium and in the perineurium. Some of the transplanted MSCs differentiated into adipocytes and cells of the perineurium.