Partial or complete coverage of experimental spina bifida by simple intra-amniotic injection of concentrated amniotic mesenchymal stem cells

作者：Dionigi Beatrice; Ahmed Azra; Brazzo Joseph III; Connors John Patrick; Zurakowski David; Fauza Dario O^*

来源：Journal of Pediatric Surgery, 2015, 50(1): 69-73.

DOI：10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2014.10.004

• Amniotic mesenchymal stem cells
• Spina bifida
• Myelomeningocele
• Fetal wound healing
• Tissue engineering
• Regenerative medicine
• Fetal therapy

Purpose: We sought to determine whether simple intra-amniotic delivery of concentrated amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (afMSCs) may elicit prenatal coverage of experimental spina bifida.
Methods: Time-dated pregnant Sprague-Dawley dams (n=24) exposed to retinoic acid for the induction of fetal neural tube defects were divided in three groups. Group I had no further manipulations. Groups II and III received volume-matched intra-amniotic injections of either saline (Group II) or a suspension of syngeneic afMSCs labeled with green fluorescent protein (Group III) in all fetuses (n=202) on gestational day 17 (term=21-22 days). Animals were killed before term. Statistical comparisons were by ANOVA (P<0.05).
Results: Of 165 fetuses viable at euthanasia, a spina bifida was present in 58% (96/165), with no significant differences in defect dimension across the groups (P=0.19). However, variable degrees of coverage of the defect by a rudimentary skin confirmed histologically were only present in Group III (P<0.001), in which donor afMSCs were documented, with no differences between Groups I and II (P=0.98).
Conclusions: Amniotic mesenchymal stem cells can induce partial or complete coverage of experimental spina bifida after concentrated intra-amniotic injection. Trans-amniotic stem cell therapy (TRASCET) may become a practical option in the prenatal management of spina bifida.

• 出版日期2015-1