Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Oct 2012
The therapeutic potential of ex vivo expanded CD133+ cells derived from human peripheral blood for peripheral nerve injuries.
CD133(+) cells have the potential to enhance histological and functional recovery from peripheral nerve injury. However, the number of CD133(+) cells safely obtained from human peripheral blood is extremely limited. To address this issue, the authors expanded CD133(+) cells derived from human peripheral blood using the serum-free expansion culture method and transplanted these ex vivo expanded cells into a model of sciatic nerve defect in rats. The purpose of this study was to determine the potential of ex vivo expanded CD133(+) cells to induce or enhance the repair of injured peripheral nerves. ⋯ The authors' results show that ex vivo expanded CD133(+) cells derived from human peripheral blood have a therapeutic potential similar to fresh CD133(+) cells for peripheral nerve injuries. The ex vivo procedure that can be used to expand CD133(+) cells without reducing their function represents a novel method for developing cell therapy for nerve defects in a clinical setting.