Spinal Reflex Recovery after Dorsal Rhizotomy and Repair with Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Gel Combined with Bioengineered Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESCs)

Figure 2

(a–c) Region of lumbar intumescence of an injury in a rat, seen through a surgical magnifying loupe. (a) Intact dorsal roots (L4, L5, and L6). (b) Transected dorsal roots (L4, L5, and L6). (c) PRP gel on the transected dorsal roots (L4, L5, and L6), immediately after its application. Immediately after applying the gel, it started to polymerize. From then on, it was no longer possible to reposition the roots that were transected on the spinal surface. Therefore, the repositioning of the roots after injury must be accurate before applying the gel. It is also possible to observe some hemorrhage after the lesion induction, where it was stopped with the gel. . (d) Representative photomicrograph of transverse sections of the spinal cord stained with Sudan black 8 weeks after DRZ. The lesioned ipsilateral root was completely degenerated, as opposed to the contralateral root, which exhibits high integrity. . (e–g) Photomicrograph of transverse sections of the hemispinal cord stained with toluidine blue, 8 weeks after the DRZ. (e) The unlesioned root showed a large number of axons. (f) The lesioned root was completely disrupted. (g) The repaired root showed a significant number of axons. . (h–j) Bioengineered human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) found in the roots repaired with PRP, two weeks after injury: (h) hESCs overexpressing FGF2 (GFP+), in green; (i) hESCs marked with an antibody specific for human mitochondria (hMito), in red; (j) merge: GFP+ (green) + hMito (red), demonstrating that the engrafted cells are in fact the modified bioengineered hESCs. In blue, nuclear DNA labeling was performed using DAPI. . . The cells remained in the replanted root. .