Mannitol enhances therapeutic effects of intra-arterial transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells into the brain after traumatic brain injury

摘要

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious public health problem worldwide. It is a complex injury associated with a broad spectrum of symptoms and disabilities. TBI contributes to a number of deaths and cases of permanent neuronal disability. At the present time, effective therapies for TBI are lacking and are sorely needed. Stem cell transplantation is considered to be a hopeful treatment for TBI patients since it exerts a therapeutic effect in TBI animal models [6]. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have many advantages for cell transplantation according to the pluripotency and easy availability without ethical problems [9]. Because of the tight junctions between vascular endothelial cells, however, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a major obstacle to stem cell therapy. If intra-arterial transplantation of stem cells is to be an effective approach to the treatment of TBI, BBB permeability must be temporarily increased during administration. In the injured brain, a transient breakdown of the BBB occurs with inflammatory responses, permitting the migration of stem cells from the blood to the parenchyma.