Effects of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell transplantation combined with minimally invasive hematoma aspiration on intracerebral hemorrhage in rats

This study is to investigate the effects of human umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells (HUC-MSCs) transplantation combined with minimally invasive hematoma aspiration on neural functional recovery and p53 gene expression in rats with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Collagenase type-IV was injected to the caudate nucleus of the rats to make ICH models. One hundred and twenty Sprague-Dawley rats with successful modeling were randomly divided into 4 groups, including the ICH group, hematoma aspiration group, HUC-MSCs transplantation group and HUC-MSCs transplantation combined with hematoma aspiration group (combination group). Neural functional status of the rats was assessed by modified neurological severity score (mNSS). Expression of p53 in the cerebral tissues surrounding ICH was detected by immunohistochemical assays. The scores of mNSS and the expression of p53 gene in the hematoma aspiration group, the HUC-MSCs transplantation group and the combination group were significantly lower than those in the ICH group at each indicated time point (p < 0.05). Intriguingly, mNSS scores and p53 expression in the combination group were significantly lower than those in the hematoma aspiration group on day 7, 14 and 30 (p < 0.05), and significantly lower than those in the HUC-MSCs transplantation group on day 14 and 30 (p < 0.05). HUC-MSCs transplantation combined with minimally invasive hematoma aspiration is more effective than either therapy alone in rats with IOH and could distinctly reduce the damage of nerve cells.