Migration of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Through Cerebrospinal Fluid into Injured Spinal Cord Tissue

Abstract

Transplanted MSCs injected into the subarachnoid space of the lumbar spine can migrate to injured thoracic spinal cord tissue. The ratio of MSCs observed at the injury site was significantly higher than in the intact spinal cord, and also infiltrated into the deeper spinal cord parenchyma by the perivascular spaces. Lastly, some MSCs differentiated into Nestin-positive, immature neurons or glial cells.