the pain alleviating effect of Sertoli cell transplantation in a compression model of spinal cord injury

Background and Aim : Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious public health issue and one of the most important causes of mortality and disability in the individual. There is not a standard strategy for the treatment of SCI. The inefficiency and adverse effects of existence therapy indicate that novel therapeutic strategies are required. In recent years, regenerative medicine has opened a promising window towards effective treatments for SCI. Cell therapy has been widely suggested as a treatment for neurodegenerative diseases that is the promising method for the treatment of SCI and can be used for alleviating the neuropathic pain induced by spinal cord injuries. Various sources can be used for cell therapy ranging from stem cells to neural supporting cells. Specific properties of Sertoli cells (SCs) make them suitable for improving neurological damage. This study is to evaluate the possible neuroprotective effects of SCs transplantation on the SCI model.Methods : In this study, Rats were divided into five experimental groups including sham, control, SCI, vehicle and SCs-treated group. A compression model was used to induce SCI in a rat. A week after SCI, Cultured SCs, isolated from testis of rats, were transplanted into the spinal cord. Behavioral tests, including motor function recovery, mechanical allodynia, cold allodynia, and thermal hyperalgesia, were carried out every week for 5 weeks after SCI induction.Results : The results showed that Sertoli cell transplantation led to improving functional recovery. Also, the pain threshold was significantly increased in animals received Scs transplantation. The Sertoli cell transplantation significantly (p< 0.0001) improves motor function. Also, the allodynia and hyperalgesia score of rats with spinal cord injury was significantly different (p< 0.0001) from the animal that transplanted Sertoli cells.Conclusion : SCs improve functional recovery and reduce allodynia and hyperalgesia. It seems that the transplantation of SCs can reduce neuropathic pain following spinal cord injury.

کلیدواژه ها:

spinal cord injury ، cell transplantation ، neuropathic pain ، Sertoli cell