Abstract:

In the aftermath of spinal cord injury, glial restricted precursors (GRPs) and immature astrocytes offer the
potential to modulate the inflammatory environment of the injured spinal cord and promote host axon regeneration.
Nevertheless clinical application of cellular therapy for the repair of spinal cord injury requires
strict quality-assured protocols for large-scale production and preservation that necessitates long-term
in vitro expansion. Importantly, such processes have the potential to alter the phenotypic and functional
properties and thus therapeutic potential of these cells. Furthermore, clinical use of cellular therapies may
be limited by the inflammatory microenvironment of the injured spinal cord, altering the phenotypic and
functional properties of grafted cells. This report simulates the process of large-scale GRP production and
demonstrates the permissive properties of GRP following long-term in vitro culture. Furthermore, we defined
the phenotypic and functional properties of GRP in the presence of inflammatory factors, and call
attention to the importance of the microenvironment of grafted cells, underscoring the importance of
modulating the environment of the injured spinal cord.

Key words: glial restricted precursor, spinal cord injury, astrocytes, axon regeneration, inflammatory factors, long-term culture