Abstract:
Introduction: Spinal cord injuries (SCI) usually result in crippling conditions due to the very limited repair ability of the mammalians’ central nervous system (CNS). A favorable environment for cell plasticity after a spinal cord manipulation can be created through a combination of peripheral nerve graft transplantation and neurotrophic factors. Objective: This study aims to investigate the role of FGF-2 in the cellular plasticity of the spinal cord in the presence of sciatic nerve-conditioned medium (SNCM) in rats. Methods: Cell morphology was assessed over 72 hours, and immunocytochemistry analyses were conducted for NF200 and GFAP. Results: Morphological analysis showed evident trophic development in the group that received SNCM in the presence of FGF-2 (p≤0.0001). Moreover, immunoreactivity for NF200 and GFAP was more evident and plastic compared to that of the group without FGF-2. Conclusions: The evident increase in the plasticity of spinal cord cells might open new perspectives for the development of techniques for cell therapy using the association of SNCM with FGF-2.
Keywords: Conditioned medium. Fibroblast growth factor-2. Neuroplasticity. Sciatic nerve. Spinal cord
Authors:
Cleber Mahlmann Viana Bezerra;
Eudes Euler de Souza Lucena;
Eduardo Pereira de Azevedo, Dinalva Brito de Queiroz;
Amália Cinthia Meneses do Rêgo;
Irami Araújo-Filho;
Francisco Irochima Pinheiro;
Miriam Stela Maris de Oliveira Costa and Fausto Pierdoná Guzen