Reflex arc recovery after spinal cord dorsal root repair with platelet rich plasma (PRP)

Author(s)

de Castro, Mateus Vidigal ^[1] ; Ramos da Silva, Monize Valeria ^[1] ; Chiarotto, Gabriela Bortolanca ^[2] ; Volpe, Bruno Bosh ^[3] ; Santana, Maria Helena ^[4] ; Malheiros Luzo, Angela Cristina ^[5] ; Rodrigues de Oliveira, Alexandre Leite ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Biol, Dept Struct & Funct Biol, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Ctr Herminio Ometto Fdn, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[3] Reg Ctr Univ Espirito Santo Pinhal, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[4] Univ Estadual Campinas, Sch Chem Engn, Dept Engn Mat & Bioproc, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[5] Univ Estadual Campinas, Umbil Cord Blood Bank, Haematol & Hemotherapy Ctr, Campinas, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Brain Research Bulletin; v. 152, p. 212-224, OCT 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Spinal dorsal roots can be affected by a wide range of lesions, leading to a significant loss of proprioceptive information transmission and greatly affecting motor behavior. In this context, the reimplantation of lesioned roots with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) may allow nerve regeneration. Therefore, the present study evaluated sensorimotor improvement following dorsal root rhizotomy and repair with PRP. For this purpose, female Lewis rats were subjected to unilateral rhizotomy (RZ) of the L4-L6 dorsal roots and divided into the following groups: (1) the unlesioned control group; (2) the group that underwent rhizotomy (RZ) without repair; and (3) the group that underwent RZ followed by root repair with PRP. PRP was obtained from human blood and characterized regarding platelet concentration, integrity, and viability. Reflex arc recovery was evaluated weekly for eight weeks by the electronic von Frey method. The spinal cords were processed 1 week postlesion to evaluate the in vivo gene expression of TNFa, TGF-beta, BDNF, GDNF, VEGF, NGF, IL-4, IL-6, IL-13 by qRT-PCR and eight weeks postlesion to evaluate changes in the glial response (GFAP and Iba-1) and excitatory synaptic circuits (VGLUT1) by immunofluorescence. The results indicated that PRP therapy partially restores the paw withdrawal reflex over time, indicating the reentry of primary afferents from the dorsal root ganglia into the spinal cord without exacerbating glial reactivity. Additionally, the analysis of mRNA levels showed that PRP therapy has immunomodulatory properties. Overall, the present data suggest that the repair of dorsal roots with PRP may be considered a promising approach to improve sensorimotor recovery following dorsal rhizotomy. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 15/26206-0 - Sensorimotor recovery after transection and spinal dorsal roots repair with platelet rich plasma (PRP) and human embryonic stem cells treatment (hESC).
• Grantee: Mateus Vidigal de Castro
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 18/05006-0 - Sensorimotor recovery following spinal root axotomy: use of different experimental approaches
• Grantee: Alexandre Leite Rodrigues de Oliveira
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 14/06892-3 - Use of mesenchymal stem cells in the CNS/PNS interface: repair of proximal lesions
• Grantee: Alexandre Leite Rodrigues de Oliveira
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants