Effect of primate bone marrow stromal cells on survival and neurite outgrowth.

We tested whether bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) could enhance the survival and neurite growth of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) through substrate effects or secreted factors. Our results showed that in DRG with BMSCs and BMSC-conditioned media cultures compared with DRG-fibroblast cultures, there was a significant increase in the number and length of, area covered by, and number of cells with definite neurites. In cytokine assays with conditioned media, vascular endothelial growth factor, granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and IL-6 secreted by BMSCs may contribute to observed neurotrophic effects. These findings indicate that BMSCs of adult Macaca fascicularis increased neuronal survival and promoted neurite outgrowth of DRG by means of secretory factors.