The transplantation of human urine stem cells combined with chondroitinase ABC promotes brain-derived neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor following spinal cord injury in rats

Cells based on therapies are currently gaining momentum in neural tissue engineering to treat spinal cord injury (SCI). The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of the concomitant use of human urine stem cells (hUSCs) and chondroitinase ABC (ChABC) on functional improvement and to explore the expressions of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF). The SCI model was induced by a falling heavy object. hUSCs were cultured and transplanted into the impaired spinal cord with ChABC administration. The Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB) scores were valued, and real time PCR, immunofluorescence and Western blot were used to detect the expression of BDNF and NGF. We found that rats receiving both hUSCs and ChABC treatment demonstrated the best functional recovery. In addition, the mRNA and protein expressions of the BDNF and NGF expressions were found to be effectively higher in the combined treatment group than these in the other groups. In conclusion, hUSCs transplantation combined with ChABC administration promotes motor functional recovery in SCI rats, which may be associated with BDNF and NGF regulation.