Subcutaneous administration of PDGF-AA improves the functional recovery after spinal cord injury

Abstract

Previous studies by our group have demonstrated that the transplantation of exogenous platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)AA-overexpressing oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) promotes tissue repair and recovery of neurological function in a rat model of spinal cord injury (SCI). However, it remains unclear whether treatment with PDGF-AA also affects endogenous oligodendrocytes (OLs) or even neurons, thus promoting further functional recovery after SCI. In the present study, we evaluated the therapeutic potential of PDGF-AA treatment by direct subcutaneous injection of PDGF-AA immediately after SCI. We demonstrated that PDGF-AA injection resulted in increased tissue sparing, myelination and functional recovery in rats following SCI. Further experimentation confirmed that PDGF-AA increased the survival of endogenous OPCs and OLs, and promoted the proliferation of OPCs and their differentiation into OLs. Moreover, PDGF-AA also protected motor neurons from death in the injured spinal cord. These results indicated that PDGF-AA administration may be an effective treatment for SCI.