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NT3-chitosan enables de novo regeneration and functional recovery in monkeys after spinal cord injury. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E5595-E5604. [PMID: 29844162 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1804735115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) often leads to permanent loss of motor, sensory, and autonomic functions. We have previously shown that neurotrophin3 (NT3)-loaded chitosan biodegradable material allowed for prolonged slow release of NT3 for 14 weeks under physiological conditions. Here we report that NT3-loaded chitosan, when inserted into a 1-cm gap of hemisectioned and excised adult rhesus monkey thoracic spinal cord, elicited robust axonal regeneration. Labeling of cortical motor neurons indicated motor axons in the corticospinal tract not only entered the injury site within the biomaterial but also grew across the 1-cm-long lesion area and into the distal spinal cord. Through a combination of magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging, functional MRI, electrophysiology, and kinematics-based quantitative walking behavioral analyses, we demonstrated that NT3-chitosan enabled robust neural regeneration accompanied by motor and sensory functional recovery. Given that monkeys and humans share similar genetics and physiology, our method is likely translatable to human SCI repair.
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Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging features of compressive cervical myelopathy with traumatic intervertebral disc herniation in cynomolgus macaque ( Macaca fascicularis). Lab Anim Res 2017; 32:267-271. [PMID: 28053621 PMCID: PMC5206234 DOI: 10.5625/lar.2016.32.4.267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2016] [Revised: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 11/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Intervertebral disc herniation (IVDH) with nucleus pulposus extrusion, traumatic or not, is a devastating clinical condition accompanied by neurological problems. Here we report a cynomolgus macaque suffering from acute and progressive neurological dysfunction by a blunt trauma due to neck collar, an animal handling device. Tetraplegia, urinary incontinence, decreased proprioception, and imperception of pain were shown on physical and neurological examinations. MRI sagittal T2 weighted sequences revealed an extensive protrusion of disc material between C2 and C3 cervical vertebra, and this protrusion resulted in central stenosis of the spinal cord. Histopathologic findings showed a large number of inflammatory cells infiltrated at sites of spinal cord injury (SCI). This case is the first report of compressive cervical SCI caused by IVDH associated with blunt trauma.
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Ma Z, Zhang YP, Liu W, Yan G, Li Y, Shields LBE, Walker M, Chen K, Huang W, Kong M, Lu Y, Brommer B, Chen X, Xu XM, Shields CB. A controlled spinal cord contusion for the rhesus macaque monkey. Exp Neurol 2016; 279:261-273. [PMID: 26875994 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2016.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2015] [Revised: 02/07/2016] [Accepted: 02/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Most in vivo spinal cord injury (SCI) experimental models use rodents. Due to the anatomical and functional differences between rodents and humans, reliable large animal models, such as non-human primates, of SCI are critically needed to facilitate translation of laboratory discoveries to clinical applications. Here we report the establishment of a controlled spinal contusion model that produces severity-dependent functional and histological deficits in non-human primates. Six adult male rhesus macaque monkeys underwent mild to moderate contusive SCI using 1.0 and 1.5mm tissue displacement injuries at T9 or sham laminectomy (n=2/group). Multiple assessments including motor-evoked potential (MEP), somatosensory-evoked potential (SSEP), MR imaging, and monkey hindlimb score (MHS) were performed. Monkeys were sacrificed at 6 months post-injury, and the lesion area was examined for cavitation, axons, myelin, and astrocytic responses. The MHS demonstrated that both the 1.0 and 1.5mm displacement injuries created discriminative neurological deficits which were severity-dependent. The MEP response rate was depressed after a 1.0mm injury and was abolished after a 1.5mm injury. The SSEP response rate was slightly decreased following both the 1.0 and 1.5mm SCI. MRI imaging demonstrated an increase in T2 signal at the lesion site at 3 and 6months, and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography showed interrupted fiber tracts at the lesion site at 4h and at 6 months post-SCI. Histologically, severity-dependent spinal cord atrophy, axonal degeneration, and myelin loss were found after both injury severities. Notably, strong astrocytic gliosis was not observed at the lesion penumbra in the monkey. In summary, we describe the development of a clinically-relevant contusive SCI model that produces severity-dependent anatomical and functional deficits in non-human primates. Such a model may advance the translation of novel SCI repair strategies to the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengwen Ma
- Department of Laboratory Animal Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, PR China
| | - Yi Ping Zhang
- Norton Neuroscience Institute, Norton Healthcare, Louisville, KY 40202, USA
| | - Wei Liu
- Department of Laboratory Animal Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, PR China
| | - Guofeng Yan
- Department of Laboratory Animal Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, PR China
| | - Yao Li
- Department of Laboratory Animal Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, PR China
| | - Lisa B E Shields
- Norton Neuroscience Institute, Norton Healthcare, Louisville, KY 40202, USA
| | - Melissa Walker
- Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Group, Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Department of Neurological Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Kemin Chen
- Department of Radiology, Ruijing Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, PR China
| | - Wei Huang
- Department of Radiology, Ruijing Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, PR China
| | - Maiying Kong
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, SPHIS, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
| | - Yi Lu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Benedikt Brommer
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Xuejin Chen
- Department of Laboratory Animal Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, PR China.
| | - Xiao-Ming Xu
- Department of Laboratory Animal Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, PR China; Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Group, Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Department of Neurological Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
| | - Christopher B Shields
- Norton Neuroscience Institute, Norton Healthcare, Louisville, KY 40202, USA; Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40292, USA.
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Sledge J, Graham WA, Westmoreland S, Sejdic E, Miller A, Hoggatt A, Nesathurai S. Spinal cord injury models in non human primates: are lesions created by sharp instruments relevant to human injuries? Med Hypotheses 2013; 81:747-8. [PMID: 23948598 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2013.07.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2013] [Revised: 07/18/2013] [Accepted: 07/22/2013] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The worldwide incidence of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is approximated at 180,000 new cases per year. Experiments using nonhuman primates (NHP) are often used to replicate the human condition in order to advance the understanding of SCI and to assist in the development of new treatments. Experimental spinal cord lesions in NHP have been created by a number of methods including blunt trauma, epidural balloons, circumferential cuffs, and dropping a precision weight over the spinal cord. As well, experimental lesions have been created with sharp instruments after opening the dura mater. However, spinal cord lesions that are created with a sharp instrument in NHP experiments may not replicate the clinical and pathological features of human spinal cord injury. Researchers should recognize the challenges associated with making clinical inferences in human SCIs based on NHP experiments that created experimental lesions with a sharp surgical instrument.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Sledge
- Lafayette Bone and Joint Clinic, Lafayette, LA, USA
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Guízar-Sahagún G, Grijalva I, Hernández-Godínez B, Franco-Bourland RE, Cruz-Antonio L, Martínez-Cruz A, Ibáñez-Contreras A, Madrazo I. New approach for graded compression spinal cord injuries in Rhesus macaque: method feasibility and preliminary observations. J Med Primatol 2011; 40:401-13. [PMID: 21732951 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0684.2011.00483.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Current models of spinal cord injury (SCI) have been ineffective for translational research. Primate blunt SCI, which more closely resembles human injury, could be a promising model to fill this gap. METHODS Graded compression SCI was produced by inflating at T9 an epidural balloon as a function of spinal canal dimensions in a non-uniform group of monkeys. RESULTS Sham injury and cord compression by canal invasion of 50-75% produced minimal morpho-functional alterations, if at all. Canal invasion of 90-100% resulted in proportional functional deficits. Unexpectedly, these animals showed spontaneous gradual recovery over a 12-week period achieving quadruped walking, although with persistent absence of foot grasping reflex. Histopathology revealed predominance of central cord damage that correlated with functional status. CONCLUSIONS Our preliminary results suggest that this model could potentially be a useful addition to translational work, but requires further validation by including animals with permanent injuries and expansion of replicates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Guízar-Sahagún
- Research Unit for Neurological Diseases, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Mexico City, Mexico.
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Hernández-Laín A, Piedras MJGM, Cavada C. Functional evaluation of paraplegic monkeys (Macaca mulatta) over fourteen months post-lesion. Neurosci Res 2010; 69:144-53. [PMID: 21093503 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2010.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2010] [Revised: 11/05/2010] [Accepted: 11/09/2010] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
We report on the neurological and neurophysiological findings obtained from two adult Macaca mulatta sustaining complete spinal cord transections at T8-T9. We performed periodic neurological exams, recorded motor evoked potentials (MEPs) following transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and recorded electromyograms (EMGs) during the execution of a lower limb motor test. The main observations were: (1) the spinal shock period lasted less than a week; tendon, cutaneous and withdrawal reflexes were uneven in range and occurrence, and Babinski's sign was not observed; (2) a protracted functional lesion in the tibial and common peroneal nerves appeared bilaterally early in the post-lesional period; (3) MEPs were elicited by TMS in the quadriceps muscle of both monkeys; they were recorded as early as the 5th week after lesion in one of the monkeys, and they persisted throughout the post-lesional period in both monkeys; and (4) motor unit action potentials in the quadriceps muscle recorded by EMG were simultaneous with attempts to perform intentional lower limb movements from post-lesion month 11 to 13.5 in both monkeys. The last two sets of observations argue in favor of a partial cortico-spinal functional gain and suggest that spinal cord regeneration can occur after complete spinal cord injury in primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurelio Hernández-Laín
- Departamento de Anatomía, Histología y Neurociencia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
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