Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2014, Vol. 9 ›› Issue (20): 1830-1838.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.143431

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Synergistic actions of olomoucine and bone morphogenetic protein-4 in axonal repair after acute spinal cord contusion

Liang Chen 1, 2, Jianjun Li 1, 2, 3, Liang Wu 4, Mingliang Yang 1, 2, 3, Feng Gao 1, 2, Li Yuan 5   

  1. 1 Capital Medical University School of Rehabilitation Medicine, Beijing, China
    2 Department of Spinal and Neural Function Reconstruction, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Beijing, China
    3 Center of Neural Injury and Repair, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing, China
    4 Rehabilitation Center, Beijing Xiaotangshan Rehabilitation Hospital, Beijing, China
    5 Department of General Surgery, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Beijing, China
  • Received:2014-08-22 Online:2014-10-25 Published:2014-10-25
  • Contact: Jianjun Li, M.D., Department of Spinal Cord Neurological Reconstruction, Beijing Boai Hospital, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Beijing 100068, China, lcrrc9@gmail.co
  • Supported by:

    This work was supported by a grant from the ‘Twelve Five-year Plan’ for Science & Technology Research of China, No. 2012BAI34B02.

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Abstract:

To determine whether olomoucine acts synergistically with bone morphogenetic protein-4 in the treatment of spinal cord injury, we established a rat model of acute spinal cord contusion by impacting the spinal cord at the T8 vertebra. We injected a suspension of astrocytes derived from glial-restricted precursor cells exposed to bone morphogenetic protein-4 (GDAsBMP) into the spinal cord around the site of the injury, and/or olomoucine intraperitoneally. Olomoucine effectively inhibited astrocyte proliferation and the formation of scar tissue at the injury site, but did not prevent proliferation of GDAsBMP or inhibit their effects in reducing the spinal cord lesion cavity. Furthermore, while GDAsBMP and olomoucine independently resulted in small improvements in locomotor function in injured rats, combined administration of both treatments had a significantly greater effect on the restoration of motor function. These data indicate that the combined use of olomoucine and GDAsBMP creates a better environment for nerve regeneration than the use of either treatment alone, and contributes to spinal cord repair after injury.

Key words: nerve regeneration, spinal cord injury, olomoucine, glial-restricted precursor-derived astrocytes, glial scar, cavity, axonal regeneration, neural regeneration