Lasting cognitive improvement may be an additional benefit to multipotent adult progenitor cell (MAPC) therapy, which has also reportedly shown to reduce inflammation during the critical window post-traumatic brain injury (TBI).
The study, led by Charles Cox, MD, The University Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Medical School, appears in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine. According to a news release from UTHealth, the researchers injected two groups of brain-injured mice with MAPCs 2 hours after the mice were injured and again 24 hours later.
The release notes that one group received a dose of 2 million cells per kilogram and the other a dose five times stronger. The results suggest that after 4 months, the mice that were treated with the stronger dose continued to exhibit less inflammation and also made significant gains in cognitive function. The researchers report that a following a laboratory examination of the rodent’s brains, they confirmed mice receiving the higher dose of MAPCs exhibited better brain function than those receiving the lower dose.
Cox rearticulates the study’s findings, noting that, “Based on our data, we saw improved spatial learning, improved motor deficits and fewer active antibodies in the mice that were given the stronger concentration of MAPCs.”
Cox adds that according to the results, intravenous injection of MAPCs may hold promise as a viable treatment for TBI patients.
Source: UTHealth
