Stem Cells from Human Exfoliated Deciduous Teeth Modulate Early Astrocyte Response after Spinal Cord Contusion.

The transplantation of stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) has been studied as a possible treatment strategy for spinal cord injuries (SCIs) due to its potential for promoting tissue protection and functional recovery. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of the early transplantation of SHED on glial scar formation and astrocytic reaction after an experimental model of SCI. Wistar rats were spinalized using the NYU Impactor. Animals were randomly distributed into three groups: control (naive) (animal with no manipulation); SCI (receiving laminectomy followed by SCI and treated with vehicle), and SHED (SCI rat treated with intraspinal SHED transplantation, 1 h after SCI). In vitro investigation demonstrated that SHED were able to express mesenchymal stem cells, vimentin and S100B markers, related with neural progenitor and glial cells, respectively. The acute SHED transplantation promoted functional recovery, measured as from the first week after spinal cord contusion by Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan scale. Twenty-four and 48 h after lesion, flow cytometry revealed a spinal cord vimentin+ cells increment in the SHED group. The increase of vimentin+ cells was confirmed by immunofluorescence. Moreover, the bioavailability of astrocytic proteins such as S100B and Kir4.1 shown to be increased in the spinal cord of SHED group, whereas there was a glial scar reduction, as indicated by ELISA and Western blot techniques. The presented results support that SHED act as a neuroprotector agent after transplantation, probably through paracrine signaling to reduce glial scar formation, inducing tissue plasticity and functional recovery.

Correction to: Stem Cells from Human Exfoliated Deciduous Teeth Modulate Early Astrocyte Response after Spinal Cord Contusion.

The authors hereby declare that the Figure 4 in page eight of the paper "Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth modulate early astrocyte response after spinal cord contusion" authored by Fabrício Nicola and colleagues (DOI: 10.1007/s12035-018-1127-4) was mistakenly included.

Neuroprotector effect of stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth transplanted after traumatic spinal cord injury involves inhibition of early neuronal apoptosis.

Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) transplants have been investigated as a possible treatment strategy for spinal cord injuries (SCI) due to their potential for promoting functional recovery. The aim of present study was to investigate the effects of SHED on neuronal death after an experimental model of SCI. METHODS: Wistar rats were spinalized using NYU impactor®. Animals were randomly distributed into 4 groups: Control (Naive) or Surgical control, Sham (laminectomy with no SCI); SCI (laminectomy followed by SCI, treated with vehicle); SHED (SCI treated with intraspinal transplantation of 3×105 SHED, 1h after SCI). Functional evaluations and morphological analysis were performed to confirm the spinal injury and the benefit of SHED transplantation on behavior, tissue protection and motor neuron survival. Flow cytometry of neurons, astrocytes, macrophages/microglia and T cells of spinal cord tissue were run at six, twenty-four, forty-eight and seventy-two hours after lesion. Six hours after SCI, ELISA and Western Blot were run to assess pro- and anti-apoptotic factors. The SHED group showed a significant functional improvement in comparison to the SCI animals, as from the first week until the end of the experiment. This behavioral protection was associated with less tissue impairment and greater motor neuron preservation. SHED reduced neuronal loss over time, as well as the overexpression of pro-apoptotic factor TNF-α, while maintained basal levels of the anti-apoptotic BCL-XL six hours after lesion. Data here presented show that SHED transplantation one hour after SCI interferes with the balance between pro- and anti-apoptotic factors and reduces early neuronal apoptosis, what contributes to tissue and motor neuron preservation and hind limbs functional recovery.

Severe Hyperhomocysteinemia Decreases Respiratory Enzyme and Na(+)-K(+) ATPase Activities, and Leads to Mitochondrial Alterations in Rat Amygdala.

Severe hyperhomocysteinemia is caused by increased plasma levels of homocysteine (Hcy), a methionine derivative, and is associated with cerebral disorders. Creatine supplementation has emerged as an adjuvant to protect against neurodegenerative diseases, due to its potential antioxidant role. Here, we examined the effects of severe hyperhomocysteinemia on brain metabolism, and evaluated a possible neuroprotective role of creatine in hyperhomocysteinemia, by concomitant treatment with Hcy and creatine (50 mg/Kg body weight). Hyperhomocysteinemia was induced in young rats (6-day-old) by treatment with homocysteine (0.3-0.6 µmol/g body weight) for 23 days, and then the following parameters of rat amygdala were evaluated: (1) the activity of the respiratory chain complexes succinate dehydrogenase, complex II and cytochrome c oxidase; (2) mitochondrial mass and membrane potential; (3) the levels of necrosis and apoptosis; and (4) the activity and immunocontent of Na(+),K(+)-ATPase. Hcy treatment decreased the activities of succinate dehydrogenase and cytochrome c oxidase, but did not alter complex II activity. Hcy treatment also increased the number of cells with high mitochondrial mass, high mitochondrial membrane potential, and in late apoptosis. Importantly, creatine administration prevented some of the key effects of Hcy administration on the amygdala. We also observed a decrease in the activity and immunocontent of the α1 subunit of the Na(+),K(+)-ATPase in amygdala after Hcy- treatment. Our findings support the notion that Hcy modulates mitochondrial function and bioenergetics in the brain, as well as Na(+),K(+)-ATPase activity, and suggest that creatine might represent an effective adjuvant to protect against the effects of high Hcy plasma levels.

Disrupted cytoskeletal homeostasis, astrogliosis and apoptotic cell death in the cerebellum of preweaning rats injected with diphenyl ditelluride.

In the present report 15 day-old rats were injected with 0.3µmol of diphenyl ditelluride (PhTe)(2)/kg body weight and parameters of neurodegeneration were analyzed in slices from cerebellum 3 and 6 days afterwards. The earlier responses, at day 3 after injection, included hyperphosphorylation of intermediate filament (IF) proteins from astrocyte (glial fibrillary acidic protein - GFAP - and vimentin) and neuron (low-, medium- and high molecular weight neurofilament subunits: NF-L, NF-M and NF-H); increased mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) (Erk and p38MAPK) and cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) activities. Also, reactive astrogliosis takes part of the early responses to the insult with (PhTe)(2), evidenced by upregulated GFAP in Western blot, PCR and immunofluorescence analysis. Six days after (PhTe)(2) injection we found persistent astrogliosis, increased propidium iodide (PI) positive cells in NeuN positive population evidenced by flow cytometry and reduced immunofluorescence for NeuN, suggesting that the in vivo exposure to (PhTe)(2) progressed to neuronal death. Moreover, activated caspase 3 suggested apoptotic neuronal death. Neurodegeneration was related with decreased [(3)H]glutamate uptake and decreased Akt immunoreactivity, however phospho-GSK-3-ß (Ser9) was not altered in (PhTe)(2) injected rat. Therefore, the present results show that the earlier cerebellar responses to (PhTe)(2) include disruption of cytoskeletal homeostasis that could be related with MAPK and PKA activation and reactive astrogliosis. Akt inhibition observed at this time could also play a role in the neuronal death evidenced afterwards. The later events of the neurodegenerative process are characterized by persistent astrogliosis and activation of apoptotic neuronal death through caspase 3 mediated mechanisms, which could be related with glutamate excitotoxicity. The progression of these responses are therefore likely to be critical for the outcome of the neurodegeneration provoked by (PhTe)(2) in rat cerebellum.