The researchers from Karolinska Medical College in Sweden reported that they found a type of stem cells called epidermal cells which could help not only generate more new spinal cord cells, but also restore spinal cord function. This achievement would help the researchers find new therapies for curing a variety of human spinal cord injuries.
The researchers introduced in the new issue of the U.S. journal Cells -- Stem Cells that through the research they did on the mice, they found when the mice’s bone marrow was damaged, the epidermal cells in the bone marrow would be activated with some other types of cells together to promote the differentiation of more new bone marrow cells to form a new "major source" of bone marrow cells generation.
However, in the intact rat spinal cord, epidermal cells are usually inactive, so the formation of new bone marrow cells and stem cells mainly relies on the division of those more mature cells compared to the stem cells.
What’s more, the researchers also said that after the severe spinal cord was damaged, the key to functional recovery may be the formation of scar tissue after limiting the followed injuries, not just to enhance the regeneration ability of spinal cord cells.
The identity of epidermal cells now appears to be a bit "awkward". Although it promotes the formation and differentiation of more new spinal cord cells, it will also differentiate into scar tissue cells as well as a type of supporting cells which are very important to spinal cord function.
Whereby the researchers speculated that there might be able to filter out a drug to selectively stimulate the epidermal cells after the spinal cord was damaged and to differentiate more support cells and less scar tissue cells in order to better help the recovery of injured spinal cord.
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