Int J Stem Cells.  2012 May;5(1):31-38.

The Levels of Pro-Inflammatory Factors Are Significantly Decreased in Cerebral Palsy Patients Following an Allogeneic Umbilical Cord Blood Cell Transplant

• Bae SH
• Lee HS
• Kang MS
• Strupp BJ
• Chopp M
• Moon J

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
The transplantation of human umbilical cord blood cells (hUCBCs) has been shown to attenuate the unregulated activation of microglia in a rat model of cerebral palsy (CP). To investigate whether hUCBCs transplantation is also anti-inflammatory in humans, we performed a clinical trial in patients with CP.
METHODS AND RESULTS
Allogeneic or autologous hUCBCs and erythropoietin (EPO) were intravenously injected into human patients with CP (mean age of approximately 38 weeks), and patients were analyzed for their motor function and social behavior. Blood samples were tested for cytokine levels. The most surprising finding in the study was that the cytokine levels were dependent on the donor cell source (allogeneic or autologous). Interestingly, the allogeneic treatment group demonstrated significantly decreased levels of pro-inflammatory factors, such as IL-1alpha, IL-6, TNF-beta, and RANTES, and showed a statistically significant improvement in motor and social behavior compared to the autologous treatment group.
CONCLUSIONS
Given that inflammation plays a pivotal role in CP, our results suggest that allogeneic hUCBCs therapy may be an appropriate strategy for CP treatment. In addition, prior to transplantation, a detailed analysis of the amount of proinflammatory cytokines in cord blood may be needed to avoid exacerbating inflammatory responses.

Keyword

Cerebral pasly; Cord blood cell; Erythropoietin; Inflammation

MeSH Terms

Animals
Cerebral Palsy
Chemokine CCL5
Cytokines
Erythropoietin
Fetal Blood
Humans
Inflammation
Interleukin-6
Lymphotoxin-alpha
Microglia
Rats
Social Behavior
Tissue Donors
Transplants
Umbilical Cord
Chemokine CCL5
Cytokines
Erythropoietin
Interleukin-6
Lymphotoxin-alpha