Motor recovery following olfactory ensheathing cell transplantation in rats with spinal cord injury

Background: Olfactory ensheathing cells (OEC) are considered to be the most suitable cells for transplantation therapy in the central nervous system (CNS) because of their unique ability to help axonal regrowth and remyelination in the CNS. However, there are conflicting reports about the success rates with OEC.
Aim: This study was undertaken to evaluate the therapeutic effect of OEC in rat models using different cell dosages.
Material and Methods: OECs harvested from the olfactory mucosa of adult white Albino rats were cultured. Spinal cord injury (SCI) was inflicted at the lower thoracic segment in a control and test group of rats. Two weeks later, OECs were delivered in and around the injured spinal cord segment of the test group of the rats. The outcome in terms of locomotor recovery of limb muscles was assessed on a standard rating scale and by recording the motor-evoked potentials from the muscles during transcranial electrical stimulation. Finally, the animals were sacrificed to assess the structural repair by light microscopy.
Statistical Analysis: Wilcoxon signed rank test and Mann-Whitney U-test were used to compare the data in the control and the test group of animals. A P value of <0.05 was considered significant.
Results: The study showed a moderate but significant recovery of the injured rats after OEC transplantation (P=0.005).
Conclusion: Transplantation of OECs along with olfactory nerve fibroblasts improved the motor recovery in rat models with SCI.